There’s a saying that an animal fights best when it’s hungriest. Desperately needing a victory after falling to 2-4 (0-1 in the Inter-Ac), SCH walked into a matchup with Germantown Academy with a fierce hunger of their own.
From the opening snap, it was apparent that things would be different during this matchup. Sophomore sensation William Howard ripped off a huge 15-yard carry on the first play from scrimmage, giving the Patriots a taste of the run game that would ultimately lead to a 34-13 win for the Devils.
Howard, who entered the game with 870 yards, exploded for 209 yards on 19 carries to surpass 1,000 yards in just seven games. Despite that, he had maybe 50 yards in the first half. “I was really aiming for that thousand yard goal,” said Howard postgame. “After the first half, I knew I had to lock in now.”
Howard didn’t take too long to dial it up. Early in the third quarter, he broke a long 50-yard run on a broken play, snatching ankles and breaking tackles in the backfield before being spun down at the goal-line.
“As soon as I got the handoff, I thought ‘I couldn’t let it end like this’, I gotta make a big play outta this,” Howard said in an interview with Gametime Sports. His run sparked a run for the SCH offense, allowing senior QB Liam Zelman to punch in a rushing touchdown to make the score 19-7.
In the second half, the Devils run game finally came back to life, with the offensive line paving the way for 335 yards and four touchdowns. But the game was truly won by the defense, headlined by senior defensive tackle Sadiek Willis.
Willis, who missed last week with an injury, tallied two sacks and a whopping seven pressures in the victory. “Knowing I could come in and bring some energy back, I was determined to do it,” Willis said after being named defensive player of the game. “I played a part in it, but [this win] isn’t all on me.”
It was Willis’ pressure that kept Rutgers commit Xavier Stearn on his toes all game. Stearn never got comfortable, being pressured 19 times throughout the game and never finding a rhythm. He never managed to connect often with his favorite target, Mick McKee either.
Junior linebacker Colin McFadden also stepped up, putting in a team high nine tackles while tacking on a sack as well. The win places SCH in a do-or-die matchup against Penn Charter, who just lost to Episciopal. With a win, they’ll maintain a chance at snagging a Inter-Ac title, but one more loss will likely knock them out of contention.
