As beginnings go, it wasn’t exactly the best for Reavis quarterback Dardan Nreci.
Before the first play from scrimmage in Friday night’s 42-0 victory over host De La Salle, the junior quarterback was sent to the sidelines by the referee.
His transgression? Nreci’s pants and pads didn’t cover up his knees.
After fixing that issue and absorbing an emphatic reminder from Rams coach Tim Zasada, Nreci went on to perform very well.
“When I went to the sidelines to fix my kneepads, the guys were calming me down and they told me it doesn’t matter,” Nreci said. “They said it’s in the past.”
Nreci was a perfect 3-for-3 passing for 35 yards, connecting with Ahmed Everette (11 yards and 14 yards) and Nick Pryor (10 yards) on first-half TD strikes.
“Dardan has been a great surprise for us,” Zasada said. “He loves football and he always throws to guys. He never wants to go home.
“The work he put in during the spring and summer is paying off now and I love to see that. I can drive by our field and Dardan will be out there throwing.”
Running back Nehemiah Rogers also contributed for Reavis, carrying four times for 71 yards and scoring on runs of 2 and 31 yards. Teammate Omar Medina added 58 yards on 10 carries while Parker Zasada scored on a 1-yard run.
The Rams’ defense also played an integral role in the victory. The Meteors were limited to 2 yards rushing on 19 attempts and 24 yards passing for the game. De La Salle had three first downs.
Reavis safety Skylar O’Neill, who spent the last two seasons starting at linebacker, provided an interception that led to Rogers’ 31-yard TD run and a 35-0 lead at 1:44 of the first quarter.
“Honestly, I was really focused and I knew what I had to do,” O’Neill said. “Our coaches prepared us perfectly. We were focused, we watched film and we trust each other. It’s more than one single player on the team.
“I got to the deep third and I saw their slot (receiver) go up the seam. The quarterback threw the ball and I reacted.”
For De La Salle, this was its first game since a 35-0 loss to Marmion on Sept. 20, 2024 was called at halftime because the Meteors didn’t have enough healthy players. De La Salle was 1-3 on the field last year and finished 1-6 with three forfeit losses.
“Playing again means a lot,” De La Salle coach Harold Blackmon said. “De La Salle football has to go through this process and this is part of everyone seeing the healing process. It’s not always going to be pretty.
“But I feel that we have a good group of kids and they’re going to stick with it and they’re going to battle.”
An individual highlight for the Meteors was the effort of running back Zach Woodberry, who ran 10 times for 39 yards.
“Woodberry took some great strides this offseason,” Blackmon said. “You can see it now. I wish we had more seniors like him. It says a lot for those guys who endured and who stayed through what we went through last year.
“Regardless of the scoreboard, I’m proud of those guys and to me, that really speaks to their character.”