After digesting a fourth consecutive loss to Holy Cross in the Battle of the Boulevard, St. Francis Prep rebounded quite nicely with a 20-7 road win at Kellenberg on Long Island Saturday night.
Sophomore Tristan Akong ran 74 yards for a touchdown, senior quarterback Ray Sheehan, shaking off an inconsistent debut, threw for 82 yards and a touchdown pass to John Cunningham, and fullback Pete Mulhausen ran for 21 yards and a score.
But it was the suffocating Terrier defense that made the difference. With Kellenberg driving in a scoreless game, James Kikel came up with an interception, setting up the game's first touchdown, a 16-yard scoring jaunt by Akong. Kikel led the Terriers (1-1) with six tackles, Chris Fenelon chipped in with five tackles and Atiba Lasley notched his first career pick.
Christ the King, meanwhile, dropped their opener, a heartbreaking 8-0 loss to Bishop Ford at St. John's University. Five times, the Royals had the ball in the Red Zone, but they turned the ball over on downs four times and quarterback Joe Nuss suffered one interception although he played a fine game overall. Bishop Ford took the lead with three minutes remaining on a questionable call, or “a bad call,” as Christ the King Coach Kevin Kelly described it. The Royals recovered a Bishop Ford fumble in the end zone, but it was ruled a touchdown. The officials said the Falcons tailback had crossed the goal line.
“We looked at the tape; he definitely wasn't in,” said Kelly, who singled out running backs Dave Lopez and LaQuan Miles for their strong play. “But I don't want to blame that one play for the game. We could've put the ball in the end zone.”
– Zachary Braziller
