By Joe Pantorno
The scoreboard was lopsided and not in Christ the King’s favor, but Royals Coach Tyree Allison felt making the CHSFL Class A football title game showed the program is moving in the right direction despite a 49-6 loss to defending champion Bishop Ford Saturday night at Mitchel Field.
“This season our main goal was a change of attitude,” Allison said. “I think we did a decent job of that.”
While the attitude might have changed this season, there was little to smile about Saturday as Christ the King committed as many turnovers as points scored: six. Star receiver Jordan Fuchs had just three receptions and the rest of the Christ the King (3-7) offense was limited to just 67 total yards by a dominant Bishop Ford defense.
“I have to give it up to Bishop Ford,” Allison said. “They have a great team and coaching staff and they were ready for us today.”
The Royals’ defense had it especially tough as they had no answers for Ford’s offense. Bishop Ford’s running backs Dante Aiken and Rodney Gonzalez combined for 199 yards on the ground and three touchdowns on the day. In the air, quarterback Xaviah Mattocks completed two passes on the day, one of them for the opening score of the game, a 48-yard bomb to Malik Warner, who made a diving catch in the end zone. Christ the King (6-4) allowed Bishop Ford to score on seven of its first eight possessions.
“They were extremely tough to play against because they are a very physical team,” Allison. “They have great backs with a lot of speed.”
The loss hurts, but Allison, a former NFL player is determined to continue to look forward and move the program in the right direction. He took over a team that won one game last season. The Royals had two regular season victories, but came together to top St. Peter’s in the semifinals. That kind of resiliency is a good sign for things to come.
“You can’t build Rome in a year,” Allison said. “That’s the game plan. I know it’s going to take time.”
