ATHERTON — Carter Shaw appeared to stretch throughout the grass like Gumby as he tracked Mitchell Taylor’s first cross of the sport. After working 20-something yards downfield, Shaw made a fast hop to angle his physique towards the ball, and concurrently snapped the ball out of the air whereas two defenders trailed behind him.
The consequence was a spectacular first-quarter landing and the beginning of a 35-7 Sacred Coronary heart Prep win over the visiting Archbishop Riordan.
“For Carter to assault within the air and end the play like that, I assumed that was an enormous play that obtained us going early,” Sacred Coronary heart Prep coach Mark Grieb mentioned. “Carter is an unbelievable athlete.”
Sacred Coronary heart Prep tacked on one other lengthy play-action cross, this time a 30-yarder to Brandon Hsing on third and lengthy. At that time, Taylor’s passes have been the exclamation factors on what have been in any other case run-centric drives. The Gators’ working recreation began with Andrew Latu, who by no means appeared to go down on first contact and constantly gained yardage up the center.
From there, the remainder of Sacred Coronary heart’s run recreation elaborated on this primary play. A sweep to Luke Maxwell off movement, or a counter to Anthony Moto, or a reverse to Will Maxwell may observe after a collection of fakes and misleading strikes.
Sacred Coronary heart Prep rolled up over 200 yards dashing, with Latu going for somewhat below 100 and a pair of touchdowns. Having a strong passing assault actually helped open issues up for Sacred Coronary heart Prep.
“Riordan, with how they lined up, mentioned they have been going to attempt to cease the run,” Grieb mentioned. “The sport went on the shoulders of the passing recreation, and Mitchell is on the middle of that.”
Issues have been significantly tougher for Adhir Ravipati’s Archbishop Riordan crew. Their recreation plan was additionally constructed off the working recreation, the place King-Njhsanni Wilhite swerved out and in of Sacred Coronary heart visitors for strong beneficial properties. Quarterback Michael Mitchell Jr. — a freshman — had some success throwing quick to receivers comparable to Zachary Jones, who needed to depart the sport due to harm. However he merely had no house to go deep, as Shaw and Latu and linebacker Shay O’Kelly clogged up passing lanes.
“Having linebackers like that could be a enormous luxurious, as a result of they’re not simply protecting floor,” Grieb mentioned. “They’re additionally making reads and attacking the gaps they’re alleged to.”
After these first-quarter touchdowns, Latu joined the scoresheet a number of seconds earlier than halftime on a brief landing run. Latu added one other a couple of minutes into the third, after which Teo Caseras got here up huge on the purpose line with Sacred Coronary heart Prep’s final rating of the day.
In between, Luke Maxwell picked off a cross and the Gators’ protection remained stout. It wasn’t till the previous couple of minutes that Riordan may get on the scoreboard.
“I saved telling the blokes, we have now to complete, we have now to complete, and we saved combating and combating, so I'm pleased with that,” Ravipati mentioned. “And after the sport, we have now to remain collectively.”
Sacred Coronary heart Prep has an enormous house recreation towards Los Gatos in a uncommon Friday afternoon contest that kicks off at 4 p.m. It might be the Gators’ largest recreation of the yr, at the least within the common season.
“They’re a strong soccer crew, and then you definitely have a look at their historical past,” Grieb mentioned. “They’ve been constantly good over time, and that’s a credit score to their teaching workers and gamers.”
