BY MARK ZIMMARO
NORTHEAST PHILA. --There was a little extra energy at practice all week.
The Father Judge High School football team had lost its first two non-league games of the season by a combined four points. More importantly, Archbishop Ryan was next up on the schedule.
Sure, there were pep talks and pump-up music prior to this past Saturday’s 1 p.m. meeting between the Crusaders and the Raiders at Northeast High School. But there was plenty of underlying motivation heading into the tilt.
“We practiced great all week,” said Judge senior fullback Jacob Marquis. “Everybody didn’t think we were going to win. We just came out and showed what we really had. And we just dominated all game.”
The Crusaders stormed away with a convincing 38-6 victory to capture their first win of the season. After leading 3-0 after one quarter on a Dane Pizzaro field goal, the floodgates opened in the second quarter with four straight touchdowns. Archbishop Ryan had pressed but the Crusaders survived with a pair of defensive stands. Then it was junior Eric Smith’s opportunity to shine.
Father Judge senior Jacob Marquis talks about the victory over Ryan. Video/Mark Zimmaro for PSD.
“It was all coach Frank (McArdle),” Smith said with a smile. “He said catch the ball and just go. He said I can score any time I touch the ball.”
Smith fielded a punt deep in his own territory and shook off multiple defenders before racing down the right sideline for the game’s first score.
“Eric made a great play,” McArdle said. “We thought we saw some stuff on film that we felt like we might have a chance and he did it. He made two guys miss when we asked him to only make one (miss). He made a great play.”
Then Marquis scored twice in the more conventional fashion on runs of 10 and 15 yards to give the Crusaders a commanding lead.
“Great lineman blocks and great holes,” Marquis said. “We made some plays and it happened. It felt amazing.”
Father Judge Junior Eric Smith talks about his significant return. Video/Mark Zimmaro for PSD.
The Crusaders’ dominant second quarter took the air out of a tense atmosphere by halftime as Judge cruised into the locker room with a 31-0 lead thanks to a five-yard touchdown reception by Denzel Dunbar with six seconds left. The teams exchanged touchdowns in the second half and another rivalry game was in the books. Judge has now won two of the last three against the Raiders and earned some payback after a 21-14 loss to Ryan last year. Judge now has a slight lead in the all-time series at 30-29-3.
“Obviously we’re playing in a rivalry game so the kids are more into it anyway,” McArdle said. “But I think coming off the 0-2 start, our kids really focused and we had a great week of practice.”
McArdle knows all about the rivalry as an Archbishop Ryan graduate and the former coach of the Raiders. He’s seen it from both sides.
Father Judge vs. Archbishop Ryan game highlights by Mark ZImmaro for PSD
“They got us last year and that wasn’t fun,” McArdle said. “Now with open enrollment, half the kids go to the same grade schools and they grow up playing on the same teams. Everybody knows everybody. They know what’s going on.”
Smith said he didn’t want any repeat of last year when the Raiders walked off victorious.
“The pain we felt last year losing to them was not OK,” Smith said. “We did not want to feel that again.”
For Marquis, it was all about sending the fans home happy.
“There are so many more people here and If you lose, you’re letting a lot of people down,” he said. “And since last year, we knew we had to prove something. So, we did. And the score shows it.”
