Football
Week 8 SAC Wrap-Up
Bishop Dwenger at Snider
Final Score: 14-7 Dwenger
It was a night of great defense in the SAC. Most of it was due to the downpour of rain that was in the area on Friday night. Very few teams were willing to risk passing the ball, so they all had to lean on their ground game that much more.
This year’s edition of Snider-Dwenger was a mess. In this offensive nightmare, each team had two turnovers, which again can be blamed on the wet conditions, and neither quarterback completed above 50% of their passes. There’s not a whole lot of conclusions we can draw about either one of these teams because the rain made such a huge impact. For example, Snider QB Jon Barnes Jr missed some throws that he would have made in more favorable weather. The same could be said for Dwenger QB Brenden Lytle.
However, with each team’s passing attack handicapped, that just means more opportunities to run the football. That means the advantage goes to Dwenger who is used to running it a lot. The Saints had 188 yds on the ground as a team. RB Devon Tippmann was the leading rusher this time with 125 yds and 2 TD and carried much of the load on offense. Meanwhile, the Panthers have an elite running back in Lenny Bennett. He broke off a few big runs, one for a touchdown, but it still wasn’t enough to gut out a win.
Snider is now 6-2 with one game remaining. If they win they will have matched their record from last season. And with this victory, Dwenger improves to 7-1 on the season and avenged their only loss from last year.
Carroll at Concordia
Final Score: 16-0 Carroll
With Carroll QB Jeff Becker sitting this game out, it was Logan Swain under center. He threw for 53 yds off of an 8-for-17 day passing. RB Hunter Mertz had 2 TD on the ground and 38 yds rushing. Concordia’s offense was held in check with RB Amir Drew only gaining 30 yds. QB Brandon Davis threw for 101 yds, but his 3 interceptions in the second half killed the Cadets’ chances of winning the game. Another way of looking at it is that Carroll’s defense has continued to get stops and get turnovers. They now have 13 interceptions on defense this year.
Wayne at Homestead
Final Score: 24-0 Homestead
This win wasn’t one of the dominant performances we’re used to seeing from the Spartans. QB Luke Goode was given only 8 opportunities to throw the football and completed 4 of those passes, for 48 yds. Like most teams, Homestead had to change their gameplan on offense because of the rain. Instead, it was RB Ryan Burton, filling in for the injured Braeden Hardwick, leading the way on offense. Burton had a terrific night with 102 yds and 3 TD. The Spartan defense was able to do its job as well, holding RB Keshaun Fields to 15 yds and keeping Wayne off the board. With this win, Homestead has won the SAC, regardless of what happens next week. This is their first SAC championship since joining the conference in 2015.
Northrop at North Side
Final Score: 29-10 North Side
In a tale of two half’s, North Side was able to overcome a 10-0 deficit at halftime by scoring 29 unanswered to finish the game. RB Alex Holliday-Robinson was a huge part of this win with 130 yds and 3 TD, adding to an already strong second half of his season. Northrop RB Jeremiah Green was held to 48 yds and RB Damarius Cowen was held to 21 yds in this game. As expected, the team that was able to run the ball more effectively won this game.
South Side at Bishop Luers
Final Score: 30-12 Luers
Luers ended their 5 game losing streak beating South Side handily in the second half. There were two incredible performances running the football by each team. Luers RB Brayden Cowherd had 200 yds and 2 TD on the ground. Archers RB Matthew Morris had 162 yds and 1 TD. This was a good game for Luers to get some momentum heading into their game against Snider. Meanwhile, South Side will fall to 1-7 with their last game at Homestead.
