advertisement

Rockford Christian Life rolls by Westminster

ROCKFORD - Westminster Christian hung in with undefeated Christian Life for about a half. The Warriors outscored the Eagles 7-0 during the second quarter to stay within striking distance at halftime. But things got away from Westminster after intermission and the Eagles cruised to a 48-7 Northeastern Athletic Conference victory Friday night.

Brady Pond ran for 3 touchdowns and threw for another score, and the Eagles racked up more than 400 yards on the ground.

For Westminster (2-4, 2-4), Xavier Brown had 84 yards rushing and 65 receiving before getting the wind knocked out of him in the third quarter and leaving the game.

Christian Life took control early, scoring 3 times in the first quarter. But Westminster took advantage of some Christian Life mistakes to stay in the game. After recovering an Eagles' fumble late in the quarter, the Warriors marched 60 yards to get on the scoreboard just before halftime.

Max Tucker threw 7 yards to Scotty Graziano for the score.

"We played really well in the second quarter," said Westminster coach John Davis. "It was a valiant effort. Then we lost Brown, our key running back, whose actually more lethal on defense."

The momentum carried over into the second half. The Warriors took the kickoff and drove to the Eagles' 15-yard line, but the drive stalled as Tucker was sacked on fourth down. Christian Life then took it 70 yards the other way to go up 27-7.

Pond finished with 112 yards rushing on 9 carries and passed for 96. Nate Richmond added 165 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries.

Christian Life gave the visitors some chances with a pair of turnovers and 118 yards in penalties.

With Christian Life driving just before halftime, Graziano intercepted Pond's pass and returned it near midfield, giving the Warriors a chance. Tucker was sacked, but a face mask penalty gave them another play. Tucker completed a screen to Brown, but he was tackled at the Eagles' 21 as time ran out.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.