By Mike McAvoy
Eric Barnett preaches the concept of ball security to his team, but it appears his words fell upon deaf ears after the Bulldogs’ showing against Port Richmond.
Campus Magnet fell 24-14 to visiting Port Richmond in a wet and wild Public Schools Athletic League Championship division matchup between two 3-1 teams Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs turned over the ball five times, serving the game up to the Red Raiders.
“We gave it away,” Campus Magnet football Coach Eric Barnett said. “We didn’t protect the ball so we deserve what we got.”
Even with the turnovers, Campus Magnet (3-2) found itself only trailing 16-14 late in the fourth quarter. With the ball on their own 13-yard line and rain falling steadily, backup quarterback Demetrius Thomas threw an interception off a batted pass into the arms of Port Richmond’s Tim Clap. Thomas took a handful of snaps throughout the game, as starting quarterback Blessuan Austin got knocked around.
The Red Raiders (4-1) would take over from the Campus Magnet 18-yard line, and quarterback Michael Goffredo would score on a 2-yard run five plays later. The score and a successful two-point conversion by Goffredo gave Port Richmond a 24-14 lead with 3:02 left in the fourth, all but sealing the victory.
“We were supposed to win this game,” running back Asaikie Blake said. “We beat ourselves.”
Blake ran for a game high of 111 yards on 18 carries, and scored one of the Bulldogs’ two touchdowns. Aaron Welch also had a 3-yard touchdown run.
Despite the gutsy performance, Blake attributed his team’s mishaps on the weather and the slick ball. The team’s eight turnovers came the way of three fumbles and two interceptions. The Bulldogs were also stopped on fourth down three times. Barnett didn’t want to hear any mention of the rain as a reason his team faltered.
“We can’t make that excuse,” Barnett said hastily. “They played with the same ball as us and they didn’t turn it over that many times.”
Port Richmond, which did not turn the ball over, watched Goffredo compile 106 total yards in the game, throwing for 50, and passing for another 56. To match his rushing touchdown, he also threw a 21-yard pass to wide receiver Tarrel Aiken for a score, and recorded an interception on defense. Fullback James Jones was responsible for the Red Raiders’ other score.
Barnett is unsure where to go from here, in terms of dealing with his team’s turnover woes. Ball security was a focus of the Bulldog’s from Day 1.
“I don’t know the magical words to say to them,” Barnett said. “I guess we’ll just keep preaching the fundamentals.”
