By Richard Carrier
Contributing Writer

The Blessed Sacrament Knights opened the defense of their VIS Football State Championship with a thorough thumping of the visiting Kenston Forest Kavaliers last Friday night. The Knights took the opening kick-off and immediately showed off their dynamic running back duo. John Moore went off the right side for 16 yards, Deon Watts off the opposite end for 17. Moore tested the Kavalier middle for 22 and Watts went up the gut for 14 more. Moore finished off the five-play, 71-yard drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone. Nathan Temple, who was true on all eight of his extra points, and boomed kick-offs all evening, put the Knights up 7-0 on the way to a 56-0 win.

The Kavliers picked up a first down, but, when forced to punt, fumbled the snap. Marquis Smith smothered the loose ball at the seven and Watts gobbled up those seven yards on the next snap- 14-0 BSH at the 7:19 mark. Temple’s kick-off into the end zone gave KF the ball at their 20. The Kavaliers bobbled the pitch on their first-down play and Watts scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 20 unmolested yards for a touchdown. BSH 21, KF 0 with 7:11 left in the first stanza.

Great defensive work by T.J. Dobrucky, Augie Conte and Nathaniel Settle forced another punt attempt, and this time the Kavaliers got the kick off. Trevor Gilliam gathered it in and, using a great block by Justin Yancy, sprinted 81 yards to score. But a flag brought the ball all the way back to the BSH 39. Moore and Watts ate up 31 yards but the drive stalled and Temple’s 45 yard field goal attempt sailed wide.

Nearing the end of the first quarter, the Kavaliers’ pass to Tom Jones earned them a first down, and Brady Deal picked up another on the first play of the second quarter. Christian Goodwyn, who would later go down with a shoulder injury, knocked down the KF third-down pass attempt and the Kavaliers lined up to punt again.

The long-snap was fumbled again and Smith was instantly there to smother the punter and the ball at the KF 23 yard line. Smith was rewarded with an end-around call and streaked to the six-yard line. Moore started off of left tackle, bounced outside, left the corner back clutching at air and scored untouched. 28-0 BSH with 9:14 left in the first half.

John Hass and Settle dropped Jones at the 26 and Gavin Paul’s tackle forced a KF third-down pass attempt. Stymied at the line of scrimmage, Watts leaped up and virtually took the ball as it left the finger tips of the Kavalier quarterback. Watts danced and glided to the Kavaliers’ 18 yard line. Brian Clarke, alternating with Brandon Holt at quarterback, hit Gilliam on a swing pass and the senior wide-out skated to the four. Moore went left again, but met resistance and had to bull his way across the goal line. With 6:56 left in the first half BSH led 35-0.

Temple’s touch-back kick-off – “He’s added at least 15 yards and more height to his kicks from last year,” Head Coach Mike Henderson said – started the KF drive at their 20.

Watts immediately put the Kavaliers in a bigger hole by chasing down Ford Scott and dumping him for a ten-yard loss. Forced to take to the air again, Ford tried to find Jones at the 25. Smith leaped up for the interception and started down the side line. Gilliam screened off two defenders and Smith slid behind his block to score untouched. At the 4:56 mark, BSH led 41-0. Settle and Conte held the Kavaliers to a three-and-out and Moore ran the punt back to the KF 36 yard line. On first down, Holt sent Watts off of the left side. Watts slipped inside the defensive end, juked the linebacker and began a 36-yard dance to the end zone for the Knights’ 48th and 49th points.

Hass, Stephen Bendele, David Lewis and Dobrucky stopped the Kavaliers before the D-line smothered another KF fumble. Holt took a knee to end the first half.

Having begun to substitute in the second quarter, Coach Henderson pulled most of his starters on both sides of the ball to open the second half. The second and third units held the Kavaliers scoreless with Hass, Jacob Baldwin, Tommie Savarie, Hudson Morehead, Justin Cary, Cameron Holt and Sam Drewicz. Drewicz picked off a pass from Scott, making substantial contributions on defense for the second unit.

Savarie and Gavin Paul were effective running the ball, but it was Settle who woke up the large contingent of Knights’ fans. After Paul’s eight-yard run, Settle took the pitch from Holt at the Knights’ 46 and broke the tackle of the defensive end. Finding the left sideline, he tore through another tackle at the 15 and dragged another defender until he shook loose and fell across the goal line for the Knights’ final touchdown on a 54 yard jaunt.

“We proved we were big and physical with two great running backs,” Coach Henderson said after the game.

He praised the defense for its two touchdowns (the Knights had only one defensive TD last year) and assessed the quarterback situation as having “two solid quarterbacks,” but not one who had stepped up to take charge.

“We have got to have better kick-off coverage and work on throwing the football,” he said