With points at a premium and one of its top two-way players limited to offense, Curie needed someone to step up on defense.
Enter sophomore Aschar Smith, who delivered a red-zone interception to help the Condors hold off Dyett 8-0 on Sept. 4 at Gately Stadium.
Curie (2-0) won the turnover battle 3-0, as sophomore Dream Horton also had an interception and the Condors recovered a fumble by Dyett (1-1).
Smith didn’t start the game on defense but was pressed into service when quarterback/defensive back Gabriel Taylor was dinged up.
“We’ve got two safeties in front of him,” coach Jarve Lewis-Bey said of Smith. “But when Dream had to go over and play (cornerback), I’m like, ‘I need somebody tall back there.'”
Horton shifted to fill in for Taylor, the 6-2 Smith slotted in at safety and he intercepted a Dyett pass at the Curie 19-yard line with 4:40 left in the third quarter.
What was Smith’s mindset?
“Just trying to make the best of every play I can,” he said. “… That one stop meant a lot to the game because that was a one-score game. Every play counts.”
Smith being taller than most of the players he covers also counts.
“It definitely helped me on defense, being able to see the field at all times,” he said.
“It was extremely important,” Taylor said. “Seeing a guy who didn’t play last year — was on the varsity squad but didn’t play — stepped up in his first game and caught a pick, a really good pick, too, that stopped their momentum and gave us ours and led us to win the game.”
Taylor said he hyperextended his right knee in a pileup late in the second quarter. “So I just stepped off of defense, stayed on offense, tried to keep us going as much as we could,” he said.
Horton’s interception with 3:37 left in the second quarter set up the game’s only score. Three runs by Darius Townsel and a facemask penalty on Dyett got the Condors to the Eagles’ 5-yard line and fullback Vince Williams punched it in 1:49 before halftime.
“A win is a win,” Lewis-Bey said. “The kids were doing a lot of talking on social media back and forth. so they were a little too excited. So a lot of mistakes were happening.
“They had to calm down and just play football. (Dyett’s) a good team, though. Dyett played well. It was a hard game.”
Bogan 20, Noble Academy 6: Sophomore Jaylen Brown, junior Xavier Terrell and senior Jumarion Sidener scored touchdowns as the Bengals (1-0) won on Sept. 6 at Stagg Stadium.
Comer 36, Back of the Yards 0: Despite good performances from Sebastian DePaz and Marko Franco, the Bobcats (0-1) lost at home on Sept. 4.
Goode 52, Solorio 8: Goode (2-0) won on the road on Sept. 5 as Quaylen Dobbs — who set a program record with five TDs in Week 1 — added three more. He finished with seven carries for 71 yards and two TDs, including a 50-yard score, and also returned a fumble 38 yards for a touchdown. Caron Williams scored on both of his carries, from 21 and 30 yards, and added four tackles and two pass deflections. Jordan Boston scored a 48-yard TD on his only carry, Javontaye Rogers had a 50-yard pick-six, while Kayvion Campbell had four tackles and two sacks. Solorio (0-1) had a TD pass from Valentin Hernandez to Yoatzi Toress.
Kelly 26, Marine 0: Senior Alejandro Herrera ran for three touchdowns to lead the Trojans (1-1) to a shutout win Sept. 4 at Rockne Stadium. Senior Arturo Martinez ran for 80 yards, while senior Rogelio Rivera and junior Imanol Franco paced the defense.
Lincoln Park 49, Kennedy 9: Kavarion McCarter had 108 all-purpose yards, including a 19-yard touchdown reception from Mason Rychetsky, for the Crusaders (1-1) in the loss. Victor Sandoval had 92 all-purpose yards and Sergio Medina kicked a 31-yard field goal for Kennedy.
Westmont 48, Catalyst Maria 6: Sophomore Aydan Wilson scored on an 18-yard run for the Wolves (0-2) in the road loss.