Steady And Effective
St. Mark's Grinds Out 35 - 0 Win
Back to back losses like those suffered by St. Mark's, likely had their fans yearning for a fast and furious start against a struggling St. Elizabeth team. However, their methodical, workmanlike 35 - 0 victory over the Vikings Friday night was probably more beneficial for the team. Somewhere between entering the locker room at halftime of the Delaware Military game and the intermission break at Woodbridge, the Spartans once promising season had unraveled. Perhaps lost in that 8 day whirlwind, was who they are, and how they got to 5 - 1 in the first place. They needed to get back to the basics, working hard, and doing the little things right. And in St. Elizabeth, they were presented with an opponent that allowed them to do that.
After a couple of bobbled snaps derailed St. Mark's first offensive possession , they promptly went to work on their second. Putting together a 10 play, 73 yard drive, with Andrew Watkins getting the bulk of the calls. His 14 yard run gave St. Mark's the early lead, and set the tone for the game. After being stonewalled on their first two attempts, the Viking offense came to life, marching to the Spartan 20, before being shutdown again. St. Mark's would go on to chew up much of the second quarter with their next drive. This one going 81 yards with Jelani Bryant passes to Cole Balint and Victor Marcelo softening the defense for Andrew Watkins runs. His second touchdown of the night gave the Spartans a 14 - 0 lead heading into halftime.
After trading short possessions to open the 3rd quarter, St. Mark's would push their lead to 21. Once again Watkins would finish off a time consuming drive, that mixed both pass and run covering 60 yards. Like they had done in the first half, the Viking offense would show signs of life only to be stopped by St. Mark's defense. Quarterback Ray Jones and running back Timothy Butler would spark St. Elizabeth with nice runs, only to see their drives foiled by the coverage of Matthew Tynes and Zion Glover, when forced to the air. The Spartans would put the game out of reach, and on a running clock with two fourth quarter scores. The first came after Matthew Tynes converted a 3rd and 25 with a spectacular catch and run. A. J. Popitti would team up with Cole Balint for a 41 touchdown pass a couple of plays later. Zion Glover wrapped up the scoring with a 39 yard sprint, which had been set up on a nice run by Carter Benham.
The Spartan's had 365 yards total on offense, with 246 coming on the ground. Andrew Watkins led the rushers with 152 yards on 29 carries, scoring 3 touchdowns. Jelani Bryant was 6 of 8 passing for 48 yards, while A..J. Popitti went 4 of 6 for 70 yards and a touchdown. The leading receiver was Cole Balint with 4 catches for 72 yards and a score. The defense earned their first shutout of the season, and held the Vikings to 110 total yards on offense. Matthew Tynes Will Hoffman, and Matt Dougherty led the unit with 8 tackles apiece. The Spartan defense held St. Elizabeth in check throughout the game. With much of the yardage given up coming on 2 plays. Eric Ludman returned from injury and had an outstanding night, averaging over 35 yards punting, and going 5 for 5 on extra point attempts.
Scoring Summary:
SM - Watkins 14 yard run (Ludman kick)
SM - Watkins 4 yard run (Ludman kick)
SM - Watkins 2 yard run (Ludman kick)
SM - Balint 41 yard pass from Popitti (Ludman kick)
SM - Glover 39 yard run (Ludman kick)
Box Score:
Team |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
St. Mark's |
7 |
7 |
7 |
14 |
35 |
St. Elizabeth |
000 |
000 |
000 |
000 |
000 |