Crusaders Flatten Red Land, 42-14, for 7th Win

October 28- The Bishop McDevitt Crusaders posted win #7 of the 2011 campaign tonight at West Shore Stadium, dominating the Red Land Patriots, 42-14. The Crusader War Eagle defense limited the hosts to a total of -3 yards in the first half while the offense was building a comfortable 28-0 lead. Junior quarterback Alec Werner piloted a devastating attack that featured 2 running backs topping 100 yards rushing; freshman Andre Robinson running for 110 yards on 10 carries, and junior Darnell Holland contributing 109 on only 4 totes. Add sophomore Rashad Lawson's 99 yards from scrimmage and Werner's 158 yards passing and 3 TD passes and, well, you get the picture: total domination. With a massive snowstorm looming and fans making emergency plans the Crusaders calmly went about their business of finishing the Keystone Division of the Mid Penn Conference undefeated.

    Robinson started things off for McDevitt, returning the opening kickoff 12 yards, to the McD 32. Lawson ran for a yard and then senior Shawn Seif hauled in an 8 yard Werner pass. On the next play Robinson burst through the Patriot defensive line and ran for an apparent 59 yard touchdown but a holding penalty moved the spot back to midfield. Lawson then ran for 4 before hauling in a screen pass and weaving for a 35 yard gain, to the RL 11. One play later Seif snagged Werner's pass for a 9 yard touchdown and, after the first of junior Connor Maloney's 6 successful PAT kicks, McDevitt had a 7-0 lead with 8:58 left in the first quarter. Red Land returned the subsequent kickoff to the RL 40 but were soon forced to punt, the ball rolling to a stop at the McD 14. Holland then followed the blocks of seniors Tyler Conde and Travis Arnold, bursting into the Patriot secondary and scooting over the artificial surface before finally being hauled down at the RL 13 for a 73 yard gain. Werner then threw a couple of rare incomplete passes before connecting with junior Connor Marsico for the score, pushing the Crusaders to a 14-0 first quarter lead. After returning the kickoff to the RL 29 the overmatched Red Land offense lost yardage on 3 consecutive plays and the punt that followed stopped bouncing at the McD 36. This time, despite a 22 yard completion to junior Brian Lemelle, McDevitt was forced to punt, so junior Bobby Zweigart lofted a 25 yard punt that was fair-caught at the RL 17. Senior linebackers Brock Dean and Alan Holman keyed another dominating performance by the McDevitt "D" and the inevitable Red Land punt, the 3rd of the opening quarter, was fielded and fumbled by Lemelle at the McD 41. Holland alertly covered the bobble, however, and the quarter ended with McDevitt at the McD 41.

    A stalled Crusader drive to open the second quarter led to a Zweigart punt to the RL 27. The Patriots managed a 16 yard pass completion before senior defensive end Noah Spence sacked Red Land quarterback Kyle Biddle for a 14 yard loss and forced a fumble. The pigskin was recovered by sophomore end Steve Marrazzo at the RL21. It took the Crusaders only 3 plays to score from there, thanks to the versatile Mr. Lawson. First came a 13 yard pass completion from Werner, followed by a 4 yard burst behind tackle Pat Narus. Then the plucky sophomore followed senior Josh Skoczynski's block into the end zone, staking the visitors to a 21-0 lead with 8:20 left in the first half. Seniors Holman and Kyree Ross were soon sharing a 5 yard sack, but a personal foul penalty against the visitors allowed Red Land to gain a first down at the RL 49. After perfect coverage by senior Maurice Geter, though, the Patriots drive stalled, leading to another punt that rolled dead at the McD 23. McDevitt's offense couldn't manage to sustain a drive and Zweigart's punt soon stopped at the RL 37. The Crusaders regained possession immediately when senior Khalid Carter intercepted Biddle's long pass at the McD 33. The pick brought the McDevitt offense to life, and Lawson quickly netted 20 yards on a pair of nifty runs. As the second quarter clock moved under a minute Warner coolly steered the Crusaders downfield, first hitting Seif for a 4 yarder and then connecting with Marsico for 22 more. Now at the RL 20, the confident field general waited for the next play to develop before targeting Seif with an accurate toss that put 6 more points on the scoreboard with only 44 seconds left on the clock.  Now leading 28-0, McDevitt was content to stuff a pair of Red Land runs to end the half.

    The Patriots couldn't take advantage of a questionable pass interference call against McDevitt on the opening series of the second half and punted, but Lemelle's fine return was erased by a penalty for blocking in the back. Starting at the McD 16, it took 7 plays for the Crusaders to go 84 yards. Holland opened the drive with a 22 yard burst, aided by senior DeAndre Lawson's wipeout block. Holland posted a 7 yard run and Lawson lost a yard before Werner's 3 yard pass to Lemelle moved the chains. Lawson then rocketed for a startling 53 yard touchdown run, but another blocking penalty moved the ball back to the McD 47. Robinson took over from there, bulling past would-be tacklers before diving into the end zone. The official's ruled that the freshman's knee had touched down at the 1 yard line, though, but it hardly mattered. Robinson waltzed into the end zone on the next play and Maloney's PAT made the score 35-0 and instituted the "Mercy Rule", for the 5th consecutive game. With the game clock now running uninterrupted, the McDevitt defense swiftly forced a 3-and-out to give the Crusaders a final chance to score. This time the drive started at the McD 47. Two Lawson runs netted 8 yards and then Holland's final carry of the game was good for a 12 yard gain, to the RL 33. The last play of the 3rd quarter saw Werner throwing his last completion to junior Nate Showalter  for a 5 yard gain, to the RL 33. Lawson opened the final quarter with a 13 yard run and then Robinson ended the McDevitt scoring with an impressive 15 yard touchdown run to give the Crusaders a 42-0 lead. McDevitt reserves now entered the game for some well-deserved playing time and Red Land's Biddle promptly ripped off a 74 yard keeper, good for the Patriot's first score of the game. Once McDevitt regained possession freshman running back Sheldon Snell had 6 consecutive carries that gained an impressive 43 yards, but an interception led to another Red Land score. The home team threatened again in the game's waning seconds, but a late interception by the Crusaders ended the contest and allowed the victors to contemplate the impending blizzard.

Quotes

Head Coach Jeff Weachter

We challenged the defense this week to not get sloppy and they came out and played a great game. Offensively we had 2 real good drives on our first 2 possessions and then we had some stupid penalties. When you're 25 yards behind the play you don't block anybody. Offensively we had a little bit of a letdown because we thought it was going to be too easy and we had some mental mistakes. But we got it back late in the second quarter and played better in the second half. Next week it's Harrisburg-McDevitt and I don't care what the record is they're going to play us tough and we need to be ready. As I always say, "Now Cougar Week begins!". If we get 4 to 8 inches of snow tomorrow I'm watching football all day. hopefully Braden has a game tomorrow night and I'll watch him play his last game until he becomes a Crusader. When I was a kid I liked the toboggan more than the sled; I had a REAL sled, unlike Coach Shay!

Assistant Coach Jesse Shay

The kids are playing really well. They're buying in completely with the game plan, they're making adjustments on the fly, they're reacting and it's fun to watch. Next week, well, you don't face a team with more athleticism than Harrisburg. Yeah, they're record doesn't indicate it but they keep getting better, week in and week out. They're going to play us tough so we have to show up. If we get 4 to 8 inches of snow tomorrow I guess the wife's going to have me shoveling! I was one of those kids that, the minute we could leave, we were out stealing somebody's trash can lid so we could go sliding down "Widow's Hill" in Lebanon.

RB Andre Robinson

High school is going well for me. It's a new experience but I like it. My favorite subject is history and nothing is giving me any problems; you just have to keep up with everything.  Every week football is getting better. From Gateway and CD it's gotten easier every weekend. We're all doing a great job now. Harrisburg will be a big game, a big rivalry game but we just have to stay focused all week. We know what we have to do so we just have to come out and do it. If we get 4 to 8 inches of snow I'll probably just stay home and relax. I used to like to go out sledding but I don't know about now. I'll probably be a little sore tomorrow.

DE Steve Marrazzo

We're really playing as a team now, not selfish, just together. When I come into the game I'm just trying to figure out what they're going to run next, to stay focused on what the other team is trying to do. When I'm on the sidelines I watch my position to see how to react. Harrisburg is going to try and smack us in the mouth but we'll be ready for them. If we get 4 to 8 inches of snow I'm just going to stay in bed and drink some hot cocoa! I'll be too sore to do any sledding. There are some good hills around my house but I'm going to wait.

DB Khalid Carter

At the start of the year I just thought that I had to come in and do my job to play with the other 3. Last year I didn't start so I knew I had to step it up this year, make the most of my chance and progress. We were going through Red Land's plays all week and the outside 'backers were calling out the plays so, on the interception, I just played the ball and came up with the interception. Harrisburg is a team with a lot of athletes so we just have to play hard and not look at their record. When I was a kid we'd sled on Cherry Hill by Paxton Street. If we get snow I might go sledding with my little brother.

OT Travis Arnold

The first game against Gateway I had some mental mistakes, I wasn't taking my right steps. So the next couple of weeks in practice I worked hard, trying to get myself in the starting lineup. And then for the LD game They switched out Tommy (Scully) to the tight end position and they put me at tackle and I got right with it. I felt the groove and I was moving down the field with the team. I feel that every week now the offensive line is gelling better. It's like putting your hand in a glove or running like a well-oiled machine. Everyone knows Harrisburg is a big rival but we have to keep our heads because it's not a "gimme" game. If we gat 4 to 8 inches of snow i'll probably watch TV and do some sledding. I'll also watch my film to see what I can do better for next week against the Cougars. There's a big hill by my house and me and my dad will probably take my sister up there