candgnews.com – Deb Jacques
A great defense can completely shut down an offense no matter how good they are.
That is what happened this weekend when the 2-2 (0-1) Warren De La Salle Pilots were blanked at home by the 3-1 (1-0) Brother Rice Warriors 28-0. Brother Rice showed what a strong running game and defense can do to keep a team like the Pilots from getting into rhythm.
Both defenses played strong in the first quarter and no one could take the lead. Early on into the 2nd quarter though, Warriors running back Brian Walker scored an 11-yard touchdown run to give his team the lead. They would add another score from Shon Powell from 5 yards out to take the 14-0 lead into halftime.
The second half started a lot like the first half as the defenses once again took over. Neither team could get any points until there were about 5 minutes left of the third when Walker took in another touchdown run from 7 yards out.
Into the final quarter, Walker would add yet another rushing touchdown; this was a 1-yard run. That would be the last score of the game, giving Brother Rice the 28-0 win over Warren De La Salle.
The Pilots’ quarterback Shane Morris completed 8 of 18 passes for 90 yards and an interception. The leading rusher was Damorria Lilly who had 11 carries for 29 yards. They were led through the air by Josh Cox who caught 6 passes for 69 yards.
Brother Rice’s quarterback Cheyne Lacanaria threw 12 passes and completed 9 of them for 95 yards and an interception. They were led by the ground by Walker who had 19 attempts for 154 yards and 3 touchdowns. Their leading receiver was Corey Lacanaria with 6 catches for 74 yards.
I was expecting much more out of the Pilots in this game. Their offense struggled mightily to move the ball against this tough Warriors’ defense. They only mounted 158 yards of offense with 2 turnovers. They have to get better. I thought their biggest asset would be their balance, but when Morris is struggling to complete passes and Lilly couldn’t get started, they weren’t able to beat their tougher opponents. I put some of this on the offensive line for not allowing time and space for their stars.
On defense though, they were completely mauled by Walker. He almost rushed for more yards than the De La Salle offense combined. As a team, they rushed for 264 yards on 40 carries. They need to find a way to stop the running game or they could be in a world of trouble going forward.
Running teams like Brother Rice are very difficult to stop if they are rolling. Not only are they controlling the ball, but they are also running the clock out and putting even more pressure on the opposing team. They will need to figure out a way to prevent this from happening again.
Warren De La Salle will look to bounce back when they travel to Novi to play the 2-2 Detroit Catholic Central Shamrocks. The Shamrocks this week hosted Niagara Academy and blew them out by a score of 42-0.
Brother Rice will stay on the road as they travel to Ferndale to face the 2-2 (0-1) University of Detroit Jesuit Cubs. This week the Cubs played host to the St. Mary’s Prep Eaglets and were soundly defeated 43-7.
