The Crusaders began the regular season with a 28-0 domination of Byrd. Senior RB Chris Smith led the attack with 188 yards on 14 carries, including an 80-yard sprint for one of his two touchdowns. Jaylen Spears ‘21 gained 65 yards on six carries and scored on a screen pass from QB Garrett Mmahat ‘22. Senior WR John Louis snagged a beautiful throw by Mmahat for the other six-pointer.
Coach Mark Bonis was pleased with his team’s play on both sides of the ball. Shutting out the Yellow Jackets “took a lot of concentration. We had to refocus every play. Whether it was a good or bad play, we had to reboot every time and execute our responsibilities and be able to tackle in space. Our coaches did a great job of preparing and the kids did a great job. We were able to give Byrd different looks to put the quarterback and the opposing coaching staff in a bind, not knowing what they’re going to get next.”
Bonis was particularly pleased that Byrd had only two run explosions and no pass explosions, where an “explosion play” is one that gains 12 yards or more. “When they fell behind, they had to do some things they’re not as comfortable doing in their style of offense. Our game plan was to take away what they do best.”
The Crusaders threw only eight passes, not by design but the way the game progressed. “In our RPO (run-pass option) game, any time we run the football we have a pass option off of it. Defensively, they came out in something we hadn’t seen in our scouting. It took us two series to figure it out. Their goal was to take away our perimeter passing game. That’s why we ran the ball so much.”
The Crusaders face a challenging local opponent Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at Tad Gormley Stadium. Carver Collegiate Academy went to 5A St. Amant, a tough place to play, and defeated the Gators 35-27 last Friday. The 4A Rams have some of the best skill athletes around. Senior QB Quincy Curry (#1), 6-1, 192, runs the offense. “He’s a dual-threat guy with a cannon for an arm who runs violently. We have to force him to make throws in tight windows.”
The “glamor” player is Lynarise Elpheage Jr. (#9), a 5’9” 165 lb junior listed as a WR and CB. However, “The Human Joy Stick” will line up on either end of the offensive formation or in the backfield and must be accounted for on every play. The Rams also deploy three other top-notch receivers. Coach Bonis had heard about Elpheage, but watching video of Carver without a roster, couldn’t figure out which of the four receivers was him.
“Their offensive line does a really good job picking up blitzes. Carver is always a tough matchup. We go from playing the Byrd game in a phone booth to having to defend the entire field. They get the ball to their athletes in space. So our secondary will be tested early on. Our front has to bring pressure.”
Defensively, Carver deploys an odd-stack, attacking defense. “They’re very fast and athletic on the back end. Across the board, offensively and defensively, they utilize their players in the right capacity.”
“I look at four statistical components that are the best predictors of who wins. One of those statistics is explosions. The key is getting more explosive plays than Carver. It’s gonna be a great game. I’m excited about it. We’ll see where our kids are on both sides of the ball.”
Come out to Tad Gormley on Friday, September 13th for a great match-up against Carver. Kick-off is for 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $9 at the gate.
Click here if you would like to purchase your tickets online!
