Red Lion Christian football coach Eric Day speaks with his players after the Lions upset Caravel on Friday. (Photo by Ron Snyder)
Red Lion Christian believes it is one of the best teams in the state.
Following last night’s 42-21 upset of No. 5 Caravel (7-3), the Lions backed up that belief on the field. But, even with that win Red Lion (8-2) may not get the chance to prove it can win a state title as they might not have earned enough playoff points over the course of the season the qualify for the six-team Division II postseason tournament.
“There is nothing more we can do regarding the postseason,” Red Lion coach Eric Day said. “I just told our kids that if you put yourself in God’s hands, then he will reward you in the end.”
A big reason Red Lion is confident it will eventually be rewarded is the play of junior running back Jhurrell Pressley, who rushed for three touchdowns for the Lions. Red Lion ended the regular season on a six-game winning streak.
Red Lion Christian running back Jhurrell had touchdown runs of 3, 52 and 48 yards in the Lions' 42-21 win over Caravel. (Photo by Ron Snyder)
However, it was Caravel that took an early lead when senior running back Brandon Cheaton scored on a 60-yard run with 5:05 left in the first quarter. But, the Buccaneers would end up being their own worst enemy after that score.
With the score tied at 7-7 in the second quarter, Caravel picked off a pass by Red Lion quarterback D.J. Russell and returned it to the Lions’ 20. The Buccaneers eventually drove down to the 1, before a pair of penalties and an eight-yard loss on a carry by Jordan Hutchinson pushed Caravel back to the 29. Caravel eventually failed to capitalize on the drive when Keasel Broome missed a 42-yard field goal.
Red Lion responded by scoring 14 unanswered points, which included a 3-yard touchdown run by Pressley that capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive on the ensuing possession. The Lions extended the lead to 21-7 with 1:30 left in the first half on a 6-yard touchdown run by running back Wendell Smallwood on a drive that began on the Caravel 28 after Lions’ freshman defensive lineman Danair Hardick blocked a Buccaneers punt.
Caravel narrowed the deficit to 21-14 right before halftime on a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jon Welch to Cheaton. But, the Lions answered in the third quarter with a 52-yard touchdown run by Pressley and a 26-yard scoring pass from Russell to senior wideout Tommy Lenoir.
Welch again tried to rally Caravel in the fourth quarter when he connected with Hutchinson on a 52-yard touchdown pass that pulled the Buccaneers to within 35-21 with 6:26 remaining. Again, though, Pressley had an answer for Red Lion as he capped the scoring with a 48-yard touchdown run on the Lions’ next possession. The performance by Caravel was a stark contrast from its play last week when it upset then top-ranked Salesianum, 31-21.
“Many people considered Salesianum the best team in the state and Caravel beat them. Then, we beat Caravel which makes us believe that we should be considered one of the best teams in the state,” Pressley said.
Red Lion Christian quarterback D.J. Russell tossed two touchdown passes in Friday's 42-21 upset over Caravel. (Photo by Ron Snyder)
Even if Red Lion is locked out of the postseason, the Lions have a lot to be optimistic about moving forward. With just seven seniors on their roster, the Lions believe they will be one of the teams to beat in Division II next season.
“We feel like we can play with any team in the state,” said Russell, who also had a 22-yard touchdown pass to Seth Penhallow in the first quarter. “We didn’t expect to score this many points against a great team like Caravel, but we definitely knew we could beat them. If we don’t make the playoffs, we’re going to go into next season with a chip on our shoulders wanting to prove we belong.”
ronsnyder@coachesaid.com
Comments: