If St. Rita is to achieve its goals this season of winning the CCL/ESCC Green and making a deep run into the state playoffs, its defense will need to play well.
In a Week 5 42-0 CCL/ESCC crossover victory over visiting Notre Dame, the Mustangs did just that, limiting the Dons to just 53 yards of total offense and four first downs.
Leading the way for St. Rita (4-1) were Justin Buckner (seven tackles, two tackles for loss), James Kingsbury (five tackles, blocked kick), Cormac Lacy (four tackles, TFL), J.P. Danaher (four tackles, sack, TFL) and Kyle Keyser (interception).
“All 11 guys were flying around on defense and they played with good energy,” St. Rita coach Martin Hopkins said. “We want to get three-and-outs and get off the field. They challenge each other every game to get the shutout.
“They played hard all four quarters and that was good to see.”
Leading 7-0 after quarterback Steven Armbruster scored on a 1-yard run, the Mustangs went up 13-0 as on Langston Smith’s 55-yard return of a field-goal try that was blocked by Kingsbury.
The hosts increased their advantage as Walter Jones (two catches, 38 yards) pulled in a 25-yard pass from Armbruster, who was 6-of-8 passing for 95 yards.
The lone touchdown of the third quarter was provided by Nick Herman, who finished the game with 109 yards rushing on 15 attempts. His 5-yard run made it 28-0 St. Rita.
“Nick did a great job running the ball,” Hopkins said. “In one of the series, he ran eight or nine times in a row. He has great vision, great patience and he did a great job following the O-line and they did a great job blocking for him.
“Nick can turn three yards into seven or eight. He doesn’t go down easily and he has a great burst at the end. He may not look like a thick runner, but he runs very hard.”
Lucas Davis Jr. (10-yard pass from Armbruster) and David Delacy (1-yard run) provided the final points for the Mustangs.