9-6-08 @St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.) 7-6 L

Nick Mercurio rushed for 27 yards in the season opener.

BY CHRIS KINSEY

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Penn. — This game was played on a field drenched all day long by the remnants of Hurricane Hanna. As much as three inches of rain fell on eastern Pennsylvania on Saturday, and many of the other prep football matchups scheduled for Saturday were either postponed or cancelled. The weather kept the crowds away from this great matchup as well, with only an estimated 100 to 120 fans in attendance. The media presence was also much lighter than it surely would have been if the conditions had not been so truly awful.

But this would be game on. The tilt between St. Joseph’s Prep, ranked No. 34 nationally by ESPN, and St. Anthony’s, ranked No. 1 in the CHSFL again to start this season, would be game on no matter what. After all, this is football. Football is made to be played in the elements. A driving rain and 35 mile per hour winds could never be enough to keep these two football powers from duking it out, and that they did for 48 hard-fought minutes.

Yards and points, just as a dry place to watch, were very tough to come by. Presumably due to the weather, both teams stuck with the run most of the way. The Friars executed their wing-T option offense beautifully despite the rain, running the ball 38 times for 156 yards. Six different players got carries for the Friars. The Hawks, meanwhile, dialed up 30 runs of their own for 115 yards. The Friars’ defense stood tall most of the game, holding the Hawks’ rushing attack to only 3.8 yards per carry. But they couldn’t stop Garrett Compton from a yard out with just over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.

TAKING THE EARLY LEAD
Things looked good for the Friars early, and it didn’t take long for them to get on the board in this one. They scored on only their second possession of the game, with quarterback Thomas Schreiber capping off a 36-yard drive with a beautiful 10-yard run and dive into the end zone. The drive was set up by a 26-yard St. Joe’s punt following a nice three-and-out effort by the Friars’ defense.

But Jesse Signa could not convert on the point after, and that would come back to haunt the Friars in the end. Surely the wind and the rain played a role, but that is part of the game after all. And six points in 48 minutes will not get it done in most games, no matter how great the defense plays.

And did the defense ever play great in this game. The Friars held the Hawks to only 169 total yards, forcing three fumbles, and recovering two of them. They also hurried Hawks quarterback Mike Giubilato into a few of his throws. He completed only two passes for the entire game. The Friars held standout runner Michael Yeager to 2.7 yards per carry (17-46) and really limited the Hawks offensively all night. The Friars held St. Joe’s to under six plays on seven of 10 offensive drives, including three three-and-outs.

With the Friars looking strong on both sides of the football and striking early as they did, they seemed poised to stun the nationally-ranked Hawks. But the defense, despite a stellar performance, could not preserve that lead.

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
While St. Anthony’s played great defense, it was missed opportunities that truly defined this game. St. Joe’s defense was also stout, registering three huge sacks to counter St. Anthony’s three fumble recoveries. Two of the sacks came on fourth-down plays, and the other on a crucial third down play in the fourth quarter with the Friars trailing 7-6. The Friars offensive line held firm for the most part, as the Hawks brought relentless pressure from the outside linebackers all night long. But with the game on the line in the fourth quarter, two drives into Hawks territory were halted by sacks.

Another missed opportunity came late in the fourth quarter on the Friars second to last drive. Trailing 7-6 with 6:53 to go and the ball at the Hawks 40, Thomas Schreiber dropped back to pass. The Hawks brought the blitz, leaving speedy wideout Patrick Fiorvanti in one-on-one coverage. He beat his man cleanly on a flag route and it was only grass between Fiorvanti and the go-ahead score. Schreiber unloaded a nice floater, and it looked like it was going to be in there all the way. But the ball sailed a bit in the wind, and glanced off the outstretched hand of Fiorvanti, who almost made a spectacular one-handed grab. That quite possibly could have been the game.

That particular missed opportunity was set up by a muffed punt that was recovered by Eric Peccia near mid-field. A beautiful 21-yard scamper by Schreiber would have put the Friars inside the Hawks 30, but it was brought back on a holding penalty. Then the drive was completely killed by a sack, and finally by the missed Schreiber to Fiorvanti connection.

But the defense would come through yet again. After a Friars punt, the defense stopped the Hawks’ Garrett Compton on two straight running plays. On third down, Friars’ DB Matthew Metalios came flying in, stripped Compton, and recovered the fumble. The Friars were in business again, with the defense giving them yet another fourth quarter chance. That drive, which saw Schreiber complete a pass on fourth down to move the chains, would end with a sack at the Hawks 33-yard line with 2:10 to go.

That would be the Friars final possession of the game.

BOTTOM LINE
On a night when the weather was a game changer, the Friars brought their A-game and outplayed ESPN’s 34th ranked prep team in the country. On offense, they outgained the one-dimensional Hawks by nearly 50 yards, a significant number on a night where offense is tougher to find than water in the desert. Defensively, they held the Hawks to only two pass completions, albeit they went for 23 and 31 yards. But perhaps more importantly, they were +3 in the turnover department, which almost always equates to a victory. They even outplayed St. Joe’s on special teams. Eric Peccia recovered a muffed punt and Brendan Schroeder boomed a 52 yard punt in the first quarter that pinned St. Joe’s on their own seven yard line. A defensive stand and a bad St. Joe’s punt later, the Friars started with great field position at the Hawks 36, and eventually scored their only touchdown.

The missed extra point obviously played a huge role in the outcome of this game, but the weather is the underlying story. All three kicks that were missed in this game were missed at the same end of the field. But that is also why there are three phases to the game. The kicking game doesn’t win or lose games, and it didn’t lose this game tonight. Yes, the Friars are 0-1. But there is a lot to be excited about. They travelled to Pennsylvania to face a nationally-ranked program, and took it to them. They didn’t come out victorious, but Friars fans shouldn’t worry. If the Friars bring the same grit and determination all season that they brought tonight, there is a good chance that this remains the only blemish on the Friars record this season.

MVP
Without a doubt, the star of this football game was quarterback Thomas Schreiber. The budding star put his team on his back, rushing for a game-high 78 yards and the Friars’ lone score while throwing for another 61 in the losing effort. He showed his ability all night, breaking three tackles on one 13-yard scamper and stiff-arming two defenders on another crucial 8-yard run in the fourth quarter when his team was trying to get in position for the win. It was a truly gritty performance by the young quarterback.

KEY PLAY
The play of the day for the Friars was Thomas Schreiber’s 10-yard touchdown run in the first quarter during which he completely gave up his body for the score. On the play just before the touchdown, the Friars faced a fourth and inches. Schreiber fought and pushed, and converted by no more than a half yard. On the next play, Schreiber took off around the right side, keeping the ball on an option play. With a defender closing on him at about the one yard line, Schreiber leapt for the goal line. He took a hit while airborne from the Prep defender, who sent Schreiber spinning like a helicopter. He crossed the goal line for the score, putting his team up early, 6-0.

SCORING
TEAM……………………1…..2…..3…..4 — FINAL
St. Anthony’s……………6…..0…..0……0 — 6
St. Joseph Prep……….0…..0…..0……7 — 7
SA — Schreiber 10 run ( kick failed)
SJP — Compton 1 run (Skalamera kick)