Last September, the Devils faced off against Lansdale Catholic in Ocean City, NJ and walked away with a close win on the back of an explosive offense. And though this year’s matchup on SCH’s home turf was in a different location, the outcome was the same.
Back to back wins over an opponent doesn’t mean flawless play by the Blue Devils. SCH opened with a slow start, surrendering the ball with a turnover on downs at their own 45-yard line on the first play. However, the trusty Blue Devil defense forced a quick turnover on downs to give the ball right back to the offense.
The Crusaders tried to thwart the run game early by swarming junior RB Finn Whittle, so junior QB Liam Zelman decided to give the offense a shot of espresso with a 40-yard run before handing it to Whittle to punch it in for their first score.
SCH – 7, Lansdale Catholic – 0
Speaking of Zelman, his performance against Lansdale Catholic made him Gametime Sports Player of the Game. Zelman accounted for 74% of the Devils’ offensive yardage and orchestrated 4 of their 5 touchdowns. His best throw? A 90-yard “catch and run” to his favorite target, junior receiver Aaron Clark (WR) to put the Devils up 14-0. Not to be outdone, Zelman turned around 3 plays later to punch in a touchdown with a run from the Crusaders’ 10 yard line.
SCH – 21, Lansdale Catholic – 0
You might be wondering how the Devils’ offense regained possession and scored in just 3 plays, and from the Crusaders’ 10-yard line no less. All credit goes to SCH’s defense, whose smash mouth play tormented the Crusader’s offense all day.
After forcing Lansdale’s QB out of the pocket, the defense recovered a loose fumble to set SCH SCH up for a stroll to the end zone from the Crusader’s 10 yard line.
Junior linebacker Harry Kull recovered the fumble, which was only part of his monster performance that afternoon. In addition to the scoop, Kull racked up 8 tackles (one for a loss) and key stops on third and fourth downs. Together with sophomore Colin McFadden (LB) the duo was able to mostly contain the run and prohibit the Crusaders from opening up their playbook.
Heading into the break, the Devils held a three-score lead over the Crusaders. One might think the team would likely just run the ball out for the 2nd half, but Mother Nature had other ideas, as rain welcomed players to the third quarter.
It wasn’t a little sprinkle either. This was a full-blown rainstorm, with water and winds whipping players and fans from every angle. Many expected the storms to cause both teams to change their game plans, with the Devils likely opting to take snaps from under center due to the weather, while Lansdale would rely on the run despite being down big.
Neither of these eventualities ended up happening. The Crusaders opened the half with a throw on their second play, which they completed to lead them downfield to a third down and two. In the pouring rain, Lansdale fumbled the handoff, leaving the ball on the floor as a scramble of bodies fought for it. Fortunately for Lansdale, they caught a break, falling on the ball but ultimately having to punt.
SCH got their first possession of the half just as the rain cleared, prompting the Devils coaching staff to start outrunning the rock — that is until Zelman uncorked a 45 yard bomb pass to – who else but Clark, who caught it in stride for his second touchdown of the day.
Unfortunately, with the turf still wet, they missed the extra point short.
SCH – 27, Lansdale – 0
A missed extra point put the Crusaders down 27-0 and motivated them to put together their best drive of the day, moving into Blue Devil territory. As they dropped back to pass and were threatening to complete the first score on the Blue Devils this season, in came senior linebacker Sean Brett.
Brett read the QB’s eyes perfectly, leaping in front of the pass to intercept it and catch it off the WR’s helmet. He returned it to Crusaders’ territory, and from there, Zelman again connected with Clark for an 80-yard touchdown pass off a beautiful hitch and go. And, after Zelman punched in a two-point conversion, the Devils brought in their JV unit, who maintained the shutout for the rest of the game while also showing amazing promise in their early start.
SCH – 35, Lansdale – 0
The Devils move to 2-0 with play against Lincoln High at home this Saturday at 1PM. Come out and support your Blue Devils or watch the game on Gametime Sports!