John Carroll Catholic, Sebastian River score big Week 1 wins, Tradition Prep falls
John Carroll Catholic 24, Benjamin 21
Tony Colebrook ran for 186 yards and a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass that both came in the second half as John Carroll Catholic scored an impressive 24-21 road win over Benjamin to begin their 2022 season.
The Rams got on the scoreboard in an unusual way trailing 7-0 in the second quarter when John Carroll’s Wyatt Dempsey punted from his own 20 and send the ball downfield. The ball almost was stopped and about to be touched by John Carroll but a Benjamin player inexplicably touched the ball and Ram sophomore Josh Reynolds alertly scooped the ball up and ran 47 yards for a touchdown to tie the game.
Benjamin star junior running back Chauncey Bowens ran for a 50-yard touchdown shortly after to give the Bucs the lead back but Dempsey hit a 30-yard field goal to end the half to make it 14-10.
On the first drive out of halftime, John Carroll Catholic freshman Zanni Miller striped a Benjamin wide receiver and Lehigh commit Aidan Singleton recovered the fumble at the Bucs’ 43-yard line.
A big throw and catch from senior Dawson Maehl to classmate Freddie Pittman for 37 yards set up Colebrook on a 6-yard score to give the Rams the lead 17-14.
On their next drive, the Rams rode Colebrook on the ground and the junior picked a critical fourth and one at the Benjamin 5 before catching a perfectly called screen pass on third and goal for a 6-yard score to put the Rams ahead 24-14.
Benjamin drew closer with a 15-yard touchdown strike to Darrell Sweeting from Joesph Allen with 5:13 remaining but Colebrook and the John Carroll offensive line drained the clock out to secure the win.
Here are three takeaways from the Rams’ season-opening win.
Win in the trenches
How John Carroll Catholic eventually took the lead was a result of some wild moments and thanks to the defense creating a key turnover to begin the second half leading right to the Rams going on top.
If the Rams are to compete for a chance to play in a Final Four, winning on the lines of scrimmage will be critical and John Carroll’s offensive line which has a ton of experienced won big when it mattered the most.
A mainly veteran crew with senior and Valparaiso commit Will Thogerson and classmates Jordan Capraro and Austin Shevak bringing plenty of varsity experience are joined in the starting lineup by highly touted freshman Champ Smith and his classmate Quinton Dames.
Reserves senior Zarius Raiford and junior Otis Ingram also had to come in to spell teammates when needed Thursday. Capraro believes the hard work the unit as a whole did entering the season is why they manned up when it mattered most in the second half.
"We definitely conditioned a lot, we run all the time and we love it, I think we run more than anyone in the area," Capraro said. "We’re really conditioned and lasted the whole game and I think we have a big trust in our offensive line and our running back (Tony). We think we can pound it on anybody."
Shevak also felt the team never felt panicked trailing at halftime knowing that if every player took care of his assignment, a win in the second half was possible.
"On the sidelines, we had great energy and I know in the locker room at halftime we were just, got to take a deep breath, come out and it’s 0-0 at the half," Shevak said. "Came out, (ran) right down their throat. We really just had to keep our spirits up and our heads up and that’s how we won the game."
Complete team effort
John Carroll succeeded in all three phases of the game and took advantage of a critical special teams mistake to cash in for their opening touchdown.
A strong late first half drive engineered by Maehl to get into the red zone and set up Dempsey's field goal at the halftime horn to bring the team to within four at 14-10.
From there, Colebrook's relentless running and the offensive line leaning on Benjamin's defensive line kept the defense fresh in the second half to perform at its best.
"I admire our kids for stepping up to the challenge," John Carroll head coach Mickey Groody said. "It's not an easy place to come play, (Benjamin's) a very talented team and I'm just happy with all three phases, special teams were huge tonight."
Singleton came away with two takeaways with an interception and a fumble recovery and sophomore RJ Jones also had a fumble recovery as the Ram defense in total forced three turnovers on top of Reynolds' huge play on special teams.
One big step
The Rams clearly have a talented group with the core of its roster that has stuck together for the past two years reaching regional championship games.
Winning games like Thursday against a quality opponent featuring as many Division I prospects as themselves should be a huge jolt of confidence for what John Carroll Catholic can achieve in 2022.
Groody was only displeased with how many of his kids suffered cramping during the night but when starters needed a quick blow, reserves stepped in and filled in admirably with not as much depth as Groody would want but his numbers for the program are high as they’ve been since his tenure began.
A year ago, these two teams were due to play in the season opener but John Carroll’s program suffering from COVID-19 issues impacting the team were forced to cancel.
Games like Thursday are exactly what this team needs to prepare for the long haul and more tests are to come against teams like Bishop Moore and Cardinal Newman down the line.
Sebastian River 14, Golden, Co. 6
Two quick strike touchdowns midway through the second quarter, including an interception return for a touchdown by senior Santino Sanchez lifted Sebastian River to a 14-6 victory over the Demons from Golden, Colorado at the Austin Tindall Sports Complex in Kissimmee.
A big play early on special teams gave a jolt to the Sharks as junior Jon Tumblin corralled the Golden punter on a punt attempt giving Sebastian River the ball on the Demons’ 25-yard line.
Sebastian River was unable to capitalize on that opportunity and went behind 6-0 after Jazel Riley IV ran in a 9-yard touchdown with 2:50 to go in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, senior Emanuel McKenzie recovered a fumble to thwart a Golden drive just outside the red zone.
Off the turnover, senior quarterback Chris Harris picked up a critical fourth down and 1 on the ground at midfield and the Sharks would march down and take the lead as Harris hit Tumblin for a 16-yard touchdown connection with 5:23 left in the first half.
It didn’t take long for Sebastian River to make another big play as Sanchez was the recipient of a Riley pass that was deflected off the rush from the Shark defensive front and took the interception 26 yards for a touchdown.
Holding their lead into the second half, the Shark defense took care of the rest. The Demons took a drive again just outside the red zone midway through the third quarter that ended with a Sebastian River stop on fourth down.
Midway in the fourth quarter, Sebastian River sophomore Xavier Marshall made a highlight reel interception as he leapt high in the air to snag a pass from Riley.
From there, the Sharks were able to run out the clock thanks to a big third down pickup with Harris hitting senior Emmanuel Allen for a first down and the legs of junior Markei Lynch churning out tough yards late to send Sebastian River to a 1-0 start to 2022.
American Heritage 49, Tradition Prep 8
Jaxson Patterson ran for three touchdowns on the ground to lift American Heritage to a 49-8 season-opening victory over Tradition Prep in its first varsity game in program history.
Playing six games at the junior varsity level last year upon the school opening in the fall, the Pirates scored their first varsity touchdown thanks to a 28-yard pass from junior quarterback Keishawn Rivers early in the second quarter to trail 14-8.
The Stallions would add on 14 points in the second quarter to stretch their lead to 28-8 at the half and didn’t let off the gas in the second half.
Tradition Prep will return to the field in search of its first varsity win next Thursday at John Carroll Catholic.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: High school football: John Carroll, Sebastian score big Week 1 wins
