There are few certainties in Summit Athletic Conference football this season, but I’m sold on one: Bishop Dwenger’s defense is the elite of the conference.
Dwenger’s D is aggressive, relentless, quick, opportunistic, tireless and ferocious. Especially ferocious. The Saints’ front line is stout but not slow, their linebackers are fast and furious and their secondary sticks like glue.
Dwenger (4-0) remains the SAC’s only unbeaten team after a 23-10 win at Homestead that erased my doubts, and should have erased anyone else’s.
“All I have to say is our defense is astounding,” Dwenger outside linebacker Hayden Ellinger said. “We’re good in the trenches, our DBs had a great game, our safeties had a great game, our line was backing (Homestead) up in there and we were able to make some big plays. We held a great offense, a great team and a great coach. That was a well-played football game. That was football.”
Where do we start in illustrating Dwenger’s dominance?
How about the fact Homestead put up 622 yards in offense a week earlier in a loss to Bishop Luers and ended up with 166 yards Friday night? How about the fact the Saints spent so much time in the Homestead backfield, the Spartans finished with minus-47 yards rushing?
How about six sacks, three apiece by Ellinger and inside linebacker T.J. McGarry, whose bone-crushing hits reverberated all the way to Liberty Mills Road?
“They were sound,” Homestead coach Chad Zolman said. “I think they did a great job of just playing assignment football, making sure they were in the right spots, and it gave us fits all night. It was impressive.”
It’s a sportswriters’ cliché to evoke the image of a heavyweight fight, but the game had that feel. The halftime score was Dwenger 6, Homestead 3 with a pair of field goals by the Saints’ Michael Garrett and one by the Spartants’ Collin Crandal.
Homestead took its only lead of the game, 10-6, late in the third quarter on back-to-back spectacular catches by Trevin Taylor off Jake Archbold passes. It’s a tribute to Dwenger’s defense that it took the spectacular to reach the end zone. Homestead wasn’t shut down completely. Archbold completed 13 of 26 passes for 175 yards, with Griffin Little catching seven passes for 132 yards and Taylor four for 58.
The Spartans forced Dwenger to punt on its next possession and had an opportunity to stretch its lead, taking over near midfield. But a shotgun snap went over Archbold’s head to ruin the chance. It’s tempting, and possibly correct, to attribute that bad snap to Dwenger’s defense. An offense gets jittery feeling that pressure.
Dwenger’s offense – using Brenden Lytle at quarterback after a leg injury to starter Patrick O’Keefe – regained the lead on some power running by T.J. Tippmann and big 46-yard burst by Ellinger. Tippmann’s 5-yard touchdown and the extra point made it 13-10 with 9:25 left. Dwenger rushed 44 times for 216 yards in an almost ground-exclusive offense.
Ellinger pounced on a loose ball after Homestead’s Luke Goode was hit and fumbled and the Saints pushed the lead to 16-10 on a 41-yard Garrett field goal with 5:36 left.
McGarry and Ellinger then recorded back-to-back sacks on Homestead’s subsequent possession. Tippmann, who had 11 carries for 57 yards, added a game-sealing 17-yard touchdown at the end.
“It’s a great team effort, always,” McGarry said. “We have Joe Tippmann, Vinny Fiacable, Jordan Watercutter, Owen Sharpe and everybody on the line fighting, creating those gaps we can sneak through,” McGarry said. “Those sacks rile up the whole defense, the whole team.”
Dwenger will travel to Carroll next Friday to play the Chargers, who were upset 41-21 by Northrop on Friday.
Bishop Luers, Wayne and Snider remained tied for second in the SAC with 3-1 records.
“This certainly doesn’t define our season,” Dwenger coach Jason Garrett said. “But to be the fourth game in and have a war like that on Friday night helps us out in the process, no doubt.”
NORTHROP 41, CARROLL 21
A week ago, in a devasting loss to Wayne, Northrop coach Jason Doerffler said the Bruins were “so close” to breaking through. They did so in a major way with their upset of Carroll.
Northrop quarterback Bailey Meerzo took care of business on the ground and through the air. He rushed 24 times for 139 yards and three touchdowns and completed 9 of 13 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown to Jeremiah Green. Green rushed 24 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Davieun Berry caught four passes for 71 yards and Jaden Smith led the team with seven tackles.
The Bruins improved to 2-2 and will travel to Concordia next week.
Carroll (2-2) cut the Northrop lead to 21-14 on a Gaven Vogt to Camdyn Childers pass but its defense was unable to slow the Bruins and gain any more ground.
Vogt completed 20 of 37 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns. Childers caught six passes for 102 yards and a touchdown and Nathan Harrah caught six passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. Layton Mitchell caught the other touchdown pass. Lincoln Lantz had 13 solo tackles.
BISHOP LUERS 34, CONCORDIA 31 (2OT)
The Knights are going to be renamed the Cardiac Kids soon. Luers is 3-1 and its three wins are by a combined six points: 21-20 over Carroll, 38-36 over Homestead and 34-31 over Concordia.
This week, it was Norman Knapke to Nate Moore for the game-winner from 10 yards out in the second overtime. That came after Concordia’s Amir Drew had tied the score on a nine-yard run in the first overtime.
Luers came back to tie the game in regulation on an eight-yard run by Brayden Cowherd with 4:41 left.
Concordia slips to 1-3.
WAYNE 31, NORTH SIDE 6
Wayne’s playmakers came up big once again to help the Generals improve to 3-1.
Brandan Young completed 9 of 17 passes for 218 yards and a pair touchdowns to Craig Young. Craig Young caught four passes for 110 yards and broke loose for a 70-yard touchdown run. Darius Alexander, meanwhile, led a dominate defensive effort with 16 tackles (nine solos), with 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. Tristan Pernell had 11 tackles (six solo) and Xavier Ellington had 11 tackles (four solo).
North Side (0-4) was led by the running of Alexander Holliday-Robinson with 24 rushes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Ronald Collins III had 65 yards rushing and Daniel Olds 60 yards rushing.
Tray Shoals led the Legends with seven tackles (six solo) and Jalen Harris had six tackles (five solo) and Lawrence Davis six tackles (three solo).
SNIDER 55, SOUTH SIDE 0
Since its upset loss to Carroll three weeks ago, Snider has outscored its two opponents 92-7. Suffice it to say the Panthers are rejuvenated.
Snider (3-1) combined for 259 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on the ground, led by A’Nyis Lockett’s nine carries for 85 yards and three touchdowns. Jasuan Lambert carried 13 times for 77 yards and two touchdowns and Lenny Bennett carried 19 times for 66 yards and a touchdown. Kameron Trotter also had a touchdown run.
The Panthers’ other touchdown came on a 50-yard punt return by Alonzo Derrick.
South Side dropped to 0-4. Demere Clark was 10 of 21 passing for 61 yards and hit Omar Jackson three times for 49 yards. Antrell Martin had 10 tackles and Tahj Alford nine tackles.
