SHARON HILL -- Academy
Park coach Sal Oropollo took a long look at
the scoreboard at Knight Field, then considered the effort his team had
just put forth in a 30-7 loss to Bishop McDevitt of Harrisburg yesterday
afternoon.
Somehow, it didn't add up.
""I know that 30-7
sounds like a blowout, but that's not what happened out here today,''
said Oropollo. ""We had people where they were supposed to be. We just
didn't make the plays. I guess you could say they did and we didn't.''
What
McDevitt (3-1) did was put on a passing clinic as the visiting
Crusaders from the powerful Mid-Penn Conference threw for 294 yards.
What the Knights didn't do was stop them.
McDevitt's nimble
receivers ran a variety of fade patterns that left the Knights'
secondary second-guessing itself on how to combat the deadly timing
passes. More often than not, AP guessed wrong.
As a result,
McDevitt quarterback Jordan Scott was able to connect on 16 of 19 passes
from his run-and-shoot clone offense. His primary target was All-State
junior wideout Raki Nelson, who grabbed five passes for 159 yards,
including a 56-yard third-quarter scoring strike that ended any hope of a
Knights' comeback.
""They had some quality skill people, and
that No. 9 (Nelson) is legitimate, but I still think our kids played a
solid game,'' Oropollo said. ""They never quit.''
Neither did the Crusaders' relentless air assault as Scott spread the wealth by using six receivers.
McDevitt
(3-1) laid its cards on the table early. On their first possession of
the game, the Crusaders used three consecutive fade passes to advance 47
yards. One play later -- a four-yard bolt by running back Julio
Scherrer (5 carries, 48 yards) -- the visitors had a 6-0 lead and were
never headed.
A subsequent blocked punt and interception led to
two more McDevitt scores and an 18-0 halftime lead. But the Knights were
not about to go quietly.
A 72-yard, 10-play march to open the second half helped Academy
Park regain some momentum as it cut the
deficit to 18-7. James Carmichael capped the impressive drive with a
one-yard blast, but workhorse honors went to junior running back Chris
Ferrari, whose timely and powerful rushes kept the drive alive.
""We
really felt that we were back in it after that drive,'' said Ferrari.
""But they came right back and scored on the next series and that really
hurt.''
Following three short completions, Scott had
sufficiently lulled the AP secondary into thinking more of the same was
to follow. Instead, Scott showed more of his deft passing touch by
floating the ball over Nelson's right shoulder on a deep fade. The
speedy Nelson did the rest to complete the dramatic and telling
touchdown play that gave McDevitt a 24-7 lead with 2:46 left in the
third quarter.
""That took the wind out of our sails,'' said
Oropollo, who now has to get his team ready to tangle with Glen Mills.
""But again, our guys were right there. They just weren't able to finish
the play.''
The Knights pounded the ball at the McDevitt defense
with a good deal of success. But a few mental breakdowns and some
costly penalties effectively negated Academy
Park's 221 rushing yards.
Carmichael picked up 82 yards on 17 carries while Ferrari added 62 yards on just seven attempts.
""I
thought we moved the ball pretty well against them,'' lamented
Oropollo. ""But what are you going to do? These are after all, high
school kids. They're not getting paid a million dollars.
""My
biggest concern now is getting these guys to put this game behind them
and get ready for Glen Mills. But they can all walk away from this one
with their heads high.''
Even if the scoreboard indicates otherwise. Bishop McDevitt 30, Academy
Park 7
Bishop McDevitt6 12 6 6 -- 30> Academy Park0 0 7 0 -- 7>
BM -- Scherrer 4 run (kick failed)
BM -- Scott 5 run (pass failed)
BM -- McKenzie 14 pass from Scott (pass failed)
AP -- Carmichael 1 run (Ferrari kick)
BM -- Nelson 56 pass from Scott (pass failed)
BM -- Scherrer 42 run (pass failed)
TEAM STATISTICS BMAP
First Downs1612
Rushes-Yards24-9744-221
Passing Yards29472
Passes16-19-12-9-1
Punts-Average0-05-24.2
Fumbles-Lost2-23-1
Penalties-Yards7-657-52
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
-- McDevitt: Mealy 3-4, Scherrer 5-48, McKenzie 1-4, Scott 7-13, Nelson
1-10 Waters 3-11, Mitchell 2-15, Koppenheffer 2-(-8). Academy
Park: Klein 4-23, Cook 1-1, Smart 7-43, Flynn 8-4, Carmichael 17-82, Ferrari 7-68.
PASSING -- McDevitt: Scott 16-19-1, 294. Academy
Park: Flynn 2-9-1, 72.
RECEIVING -- McDevitt: McKenzie 4-64, Dykes 4-32, Nelson 5-159, Scherrer 1-22, Waters 1-13, Funk 1-4.
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Incomplete work costs Academy Park - September 25, 1994
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment