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Warriors Rolls to Homecoming Win
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Jim Baranski
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Crete Record
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10.02.08
Early in the football season, the defense has carried the Crete-Monee; however for the homecoming contest on September 26, the offense led the way. The Warriors (2-3, 1-0) opened the SICA South season with a 27-13 win over Kankakee.
Taking advantage of a couple of misplays on special teams by the Kays, Crete-Monee tallied three first-half touchdowns for a 19-13 halftime lead.
On the Kankakee first possession, the Kays marched 84 yards through the Warrior defense. Staying on the ground, Kankakee ran for three first downs before quarterback Charlie Smith slipped in from the 1.
The Warrior offense, however, bounced back with the tying score. Sophomore Julius Spicer ripped off gains of 19 and 12 to provide Crete-Monee with a first down at the Kankakee 30. Armand Pierre then passed to Cortez Scott for a 17-yard gain to the 5.
Two plays later, Dan Boylan hammered through the left side for a four-yard touchdown run. Kicker Daniel Ringenberg added the point after to knot the game at 7-7 with 2:33 left in the first quarter.
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The Kays were stymied by a bad punt snap. Punter Anthony Lawrence tracked the high snap, but Warrior Christopher Buckley knocked Lawrence out-of-bounds at the Kankakee 3.
On third down, Pierre scored from the 1 on a quarterback sneak. The touchdown gave the Warriors a short-lived 13-7 lead.
Again, the Kays retaliated with another long touchdown march. Going 72 yards in 14 plays, Jalon Banks popped in from the 1, and the contest was tied 13-13.
Then came the second Kankakee misplay. The Warriors punted, but Pierre, who in addition to quarterbacking is also the long snapper, recovered a Kankakee fumble at the Crete-Monee 47.
Next, Pierre used his arm to propel the Warriors to another score. Pierre connected with Steve Trudo on the three consecutive passes for gains of 17, 11, and 13.
"They had the safety back, and I was able to do a 10-yard out," Trudo explained. "It was a great read by our quarterback (Pierre)."
Pierre completed passes to Spicer (4 yards) and Scott (7 yards). Brian Hatwood then followed a block from fullback William Burgress for a 1-yard touchdown. Thus, the Warriors were up 19-13.
Head coach Jerry Verde, who doubles as defensive coordinator, was not happy with his team's defensive effort. In the first 24 minutes, the Kays totaled 211 yards, 192 on the ground.
"I was embarrassed," Verde said. "I told the team that Kankakee was a hungry team, and we had to be ready, but we were flat. On the first touchdown, we lacked some aggressiveness, and on the second, we were too aggressive and forgot our technique.
"At the half, I challenged our defense to step up," Verde continued. "Our senior leader Gary Young led the charge in the second half."
The Warriors had the statistics to prove Verde right. The Kays had just 27 yards and two first downs in the final two quarters. Both first downs came in the final Kay possession. Then, Crete-Monee had three consecutive sacks, two by Young and one by Salvador Carvajal.
"Coach told us that we had to play as a team," Young said. "We need to pull it together and get it done. As a leader, I had to step it up, but I could not have done it without the rest of the line."
Along with Young (four tackles for losses), the Warrior defensive front included Rodney Reed (two sacks), Dennis Hock, Hakeem Moore-Hughes, and Buckley.
The Warrior offense provided some breathing room with a third quarter touchdown.
On third-and-9, Pierre connected with Scott who made a leaping grab between two Kankakee defenders for a 25-yard gain.
"I saw the ball and went up and got it," Scott said. "It was also a great throw by Pierre."
On the next play, Scott skirted left end for nine yards. Then a 2-yard loss and an incompletion left the Warriors with fourth-and-three. Pierre located Trudo over the middle again for a 13-yard gain. Following Burgress and Greg Barksdale, Hatwood ran four yards for the touchdown. For the extra point, Pierre tossed to Dylan McElveen on a flanker screen, and the junior used Scott's block to coast into the end zone.
Pierre finished the game completing 14 of 25 passes for 129 yards. Trudo had six catches for 66 yards, and Scott had 56 yards on six grabs. On the ground, Spicer topped the Warriors with 52 yards on 12 carries. Scott added 34 yards on two totes.
"Offensive coaches John Konecki and Darion Yaraborough have done a great job with Pierre," Verde praised. "They have worked to improve his reads and have help him with throwing to the break and hitting the spots."
Next on the docket for the Warriors is a trip to Rich Central on October 3. Verde knows that his squad will have to ready for the Olympians.
"I have seen Rich Central, and they have some dynamite running backs," Verde assessed. "We will have to play disciplined football to contain them."
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