Trailing 10-0 at halftime to an opponent with many bigger linemen, the Bishop O’Connell Knights were confident they were still in the game.
In the second half, though, that size advantage for the host St. Mary’s Ryken Knights began wearing on O’Connell, which eventually lost the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Metro Division high-school football game, 38-7, Friday night (Oct. 18) in Maryland.
O’Connell fell to 1-6, 0-1. Ryken, the defending division champion, improved to 5-2, 2-0.
“We played very well in the first half,” O’Connell coach Todd Sabatino said. “That was the best half of defense we’ve played this season. We can build on that. But they are big up front on the lines, and we aren’t going to hold up against big guys like that as the game goes on.”
O’Connell’s touchdown came on a 37-yard pass from Graham Deaton to Xavier Reid with 9:24 left in the game. Josh Graham added the extra point, cutting the lead to 31-7.
“It was a screen pass that we faked up on and hit it for a long play,” Sabatino said about the touchdown. “We thought we could hit them on that play at some point.”
O’Connell had 188 total yards, with Deaton passing for 85 and having a 19-yard scramble. Mikhai Martin and Douglas O’Donnell were leading rushers for O’Connell. Scott Anderson caught a 38-yard pass.
O’Connell returns to action Saturday (Oct. 26) at 1 p.m. against the Carroll Lions (2-5, 1-1) in another Metro Division WCAC game.
