On a cold Saturday afternoon, neither Archbishop Ryan nor Bonner-Prendie were able to get their offenses going. The game was a battle of field position and who would get the ball last.
Archbishop Ryan was able to survive the defensive struggle and came out on top by a final score of 7-6.
The game started out sloppy. Both teams’ first possession ended with fumbles. But after Bonner got the ball back the team was able to drive down the field and come up with a touchdown. But the extra point was blocked.
Two Ryan players go one on one pregame. - Kevin Schaeffer
Blocking the extra point was a key part in Ryan’s win. After not having any momentum in the first three quarters, a personal foul got a spark going.
After failing on a third down, coach Frank McArdle took a chance. The Raiders opted to run a fake punt, one that has been practiced at Archbishop Ryan for years. Junior long snapper Chris Kuhar was the recipient of the fake, after Ryan’s quarterback dropped a touch pass into him. The fake netted 16 yards and was more than enough for a first down and to keep the drive alive.
“It was a great feeling to get up and catch the ball to keep the drive going,” Kuhar said. “To be honest I wasn’t sure if I was going to hold on to the ball, but I’m obviously glad I did.“
After the fake punt, and another personal foul on Bonner, Ryan was well within range to score. The go-ahead touchdown occurred with less than four minutes left, when Romano drove in a one yard run.
Captains meet before kickoff. - Kevin Schaeffer
Matt Romano hopes to lead Ryan to first score of the game. - Kevin Schaeffer
“We struggled all game up front as a group moving the ball,” junior left tackle Brendan Ruskowski said. “But it was really big for us to get [Matt Romano] in the end zone, I think it gave us the confidence we needed to really get going.”
The extra point was made by senior kicker Ryan Stock, the younger brother of Ryan’s previous kicker Joseph Stock, and gave the Raiders a one point advantage.
“Knowing that the extra point gave us the lead was really cool,” Stock said. “I came in cold cause we had been slow on offense for the most part, but they came up clutch when they had to.”
After the score Bonner would have one last chance to comeback. But those efforts were ended by freshman cornerback Shamar Edwards. Edwards intercepted a pass from Bonner’s senior quarterback Shaun Douglas in the end zone with less than a minute to go, sealing a win for Archbishop Ryan.
“Everything that could have gone wrong did, and we were still able to come out on top,” coach McArdle said. “That says a lot about how tough our team is, and now we have the great honor to play for a Catholic League championship.”
The Raiders will likely play Archbishop Wood in the title game. The Vikings beat the Raiders earlier in the season 48-0, in a game that senior quarterback Anthony Russo lit up the stat sheet. Improving defensively will be something the Raiders will focus on as they prepare for the championship rematch from last year.
“It’s going to be tough to stop [Russo], he’s a great quarterback,” junior cornerback Billy Palmer said. “But we learned a lot from the last time we played them and we’re going to use that in this week of practice.”
Jeremy Smith skies up above team in pregame huddle. - Kevin Schaeffer
Senior Ryan Kidwell watches the scoreboard as time winds down. - Kevin Schaeffer