Fenton keeps Deckert busy in victory
Fill up an ice bath for James Deckert and buy him a milk shake while you're at it, because the guy had an exhausting night.
"I get tired, but for the most part I just try to put it behind me and just keep running," he said.
In Friday's dominating 49-12 Fenton victory over Metro Suburban Red rival Guerin, the 210-pound senior running back carried the ball 23 times for 205 yards, punched the ball into the end zone three times and added a 2-point conversion for the Bison (3-3, 1-1).
Not bad for a player who just started running the ball again after spending most of the season on defense. On Friday he accounted for 47 percent of Fenton's total yards on offense.
His reward for the effort? Rest in the second half as the Bison switched to junior running back Ethan Doliente on the ground in the second frame. He carried 10 times for 95 yards.
"I don't know if there is an advantage or a disadvantage (to switching running backs at the half), it's just that we have two quality kids there and the game dictates who we play," said Fenton coach Matthew Lynch. "It wasn't that it was planned or anything, we just decided his turn, your turn, that was all it was."
No matter if it was Deckert, Doliente, senior quarterback Kyle Cacioppo, or somebody else wearing royal blue and orange running the ball, the Crusaders (2-4, 1-3) had few answers to Fenton's running game. The Bison finished with 341 yards on the ground.
Deckert established the running game early.
On the first of seven scoring drives, Deckert capped off a drive in which he carried the ball eight out of the 10 plays by rumbling for a 15-yard touchdown to put his team up 7-0 with 9:15 to play in the first quarter. Deckert carries made up 23 of the 38 plays the Bison ran in the first half.
"Honestly, the line really helped a lot too," Deckert said. "I can't just take all the credit for that. Their blocks really gave me easy yards up the middle, and once I broke through I was able to get some extra yards."
Cacioppo threw 2 touchdowns and had 8 completions, including one pass that went for 41 yards to junior wide receiver Andre Reed. That sprinkled on top of a stellar ground performance added up to the Bison's first conference win of the season.
"Honestly, since it was homecoming too it meant a lot," Deckert said. "We were super happy to win. It was our second home win. Hopefully next week we can come back and get another one."