Wickliffe was simply too much for Cardinal to handle, as the Huskies fell 39-19 in their homecoming game.
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Wickliffe was simply too much for Cardinal to handle, as the Huskies fell 39-19 in their homecoming game.
The Blue Devils (3-1) ran right through Cardinal (1-3) for most of the game.
Paced by junior running back Ralph Jackson and senior back Nunzio Zivnoska, the Wing-T offense steadily churned up yards and occasionally broke off a couple of big plays.
It was a rough night for the Cardinal defense, as Wickliffe’s offensive line was solid at sealing off the ends and opening up holes in the middle.
“We take a lot of pride in playing physical and playing fast,” said Wickliffe Head Coach Marce Porcello. “The offensive line is an experienced group, and we talked about it before the game. We wanted to own the line of scrimmage tonight, and I thought we did a really good job with it.”
Late in the first quarter, it appeared the Huskies might be able to hang with the Blue Devils, as senior wide receiver Troy Champlin hauled in a 15-yard touchdown reception from senior quarterback Cal Ciminello to tie the game at six.
However, the second quarter proved to be all Wickliffe, as the Blue Devils went on a 17-0 run to close out the half.
For Huskies Head Coach Rich Turner, the turning point in the game came early in the second quarter when Wickliffe was facing a third and 12, but tuned it into a nine-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Frank Bucar to senior wide out Jake Beal.
“They converted a couple of big third and 12s, including that one where they hit the touchdown,” he said. “Our kids played great, but have to make our kids play both ways and that wears they out sometimes.”
The Huskies offense, which set several offensive records last week, struggle against a larger and quicker defense in the last three quarters.
Injuries to the offensive line played a role in those struggles.
“Our one offensive lineman went down and another was banged up, so we had some o-line issues like we had a couple of weeks ago,” Turner said. “Our kids played hard, but with just a couple of plays here or there and it wouldn’t be as bad.”
Senior quarterback Cal Ciminello, who was banged up entering the game, faced consistent pressure from the Blue Devils, which caused him to scramble and affected the timing of plays.
“All week we worked on getting pressure on the quarterback,” Porcello said. “He’s a really talented player and I thought we made him make some off-balance throws.
“We were going to bring the heat and see if they could handle it.”
Added Turner, “Cal was banged up and we couldn’t run him like we did last week, so we couldn’t be more versatile.”
The Cardinal head coach was happy with his team’s effort as they kept fighting.
With the game seemingly decided in the fourth, the Huskies scored the game’s final touchdown.
“They never quit,” said Turner, who pointed out that the Huskies next game, against Trinity, will be the first time this season that they face an offense not running the Wing-T.
