St. Viator KO’s Foreman
First-year St. Viator coach Brandon New stressed to his team during training camp that Friday night is “payday.”
The Lions (1-0) were paid in full Friday at Forest View.
Twenty-four minutes was good enough for the St. Viator Lions as they fiercely tallied 41 points in the first half against the Foreman Hornets in a nonconference season opener on the way to a 48-0 victory.
The Lions defensive force took advantage of nearly every turnover relinquished early as they registered 34 points from the Foreman offense mistakes.
After a Foreman turnover on downs, Lions sophomore receiver Ben Dickey (6 carries, 91 yards rushing, 2 TDs) took an end-around play for a 63-yard scamper to strike the scoreboard first and lead 7-0. Dickey would emulate this same end around play later on in the second quarter for a 10-yard touchdown and the Lions would never look back.
“We can’t be complacent, “Dickey said. “We’re still a 2-7 team (last year), and we beat an average team. (Foreman) had a similar offense and a similar game plan. We can’t stop working harder every practice.”
The St. Viator defensive unit performed exceptionally as well. Foreman’s third possession started at its own 1 and it marched 67 yards. However, the Lions secondary snuffed this drive as senior cornerback Chris Strzalka made an athletic play, breaking up a pass intended for Hornets wideout Wendell Ieland in the end zone.
Strzalka later returned a 30-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.
“Coach (New) was stressing that winning the turnover battle was a huge key.” Strzalka said. “On the fumble I saw the (loose) ball and my eyes lit up. I thought he’d be ruled down, but it wasn’t.”
It was smooth sailing for St. Viator through the remainder of the game following halftime. The Lions added one more touchdown after senior quarterback Mickey Macius connected with junior Joe Adams for a 20-yard pass.
Other standout Lions players were senior receiver and free safety Kevin Hammarlund (35-yard interception return for a touchdown); defensive tackle Jimmy Murphy and middle linebacker Jack Brandt respectively tallied a sack apiece.
“The defense was important because the more time you get the offense back on the field, the more you have a chance to score,” New said. “More than anything I’d like to be a coach’s coach for these guys. This win was a character-builder, and it is setting the tone for our expectations. It seems like the guys bought into my philosophy. The number one thing is to make it fun, because losing isn’t fun.”