Jordan's Road Trip: Marian Catholic vs Crete-Monee Game Report

Saturday Afternoon’s game was a sight to see as Crete-Monee showcased what they can do in their season opener against a well-coached and talented Marian Catholic team. Enough talk, let’s dive into it Marian Catholic (0-1) vs Crete-Monee (0-0) Week 2 matchup. <hr /> Quick Preview Heading into this matchup I knew that Crete-Monee had a dominant offense and defense. I also knew that Marian Catholic had a stellar back in [player_tooltip player_id="20239" first="Tajheem" last="Lawson"] and had a bright young man Ronald Thomas III at QB. Crete-Monee primarily runs a tempo offense that is constantly on the go tiring their opponent out as the game goes on and is aggressive in all aspects of the game. Marian Catholic on the other hand primarily runs out of the I and Singleback formation focusing on the run with [player_tooltip player_id="20239" first="Tajheem" last="Lawson"]. On defense, they have guys that can get pressure on the QB, such as Kendall Thomas and [player_tooltip player_id="65568" first="Justin" last="Stallworth"], and have a good corner in [player_tooltip player_id="65543" first="Jahmar" last="Daniel"] that can hold his own in one-on-one coverage. I predicted the score of the game was going to be Crete-Monee 35 Marian Catholic 21, let’s see if I was right and what went down Saturday afternoon. First Half Marian Catholic received the opening kickoff to start the game on their own 44 yard line. The Spartans knew that the Warrios scouted their week 1 game so they came out in a new formation with new plays which worked in their favor. They Spartans were driving down the field on their first drive until they had to settle for a field goal attempt. This attempt ended up missing giving the ball to the Warriors on their own 25. The first drive for Crete-Monee resulted in a punt. It seemed as if this game was going to be a neck and neck game the whole way through but then mental mistakes (fumbles and penalties) came forward hurting the Spartans on consecutive drives. On their next drives they went (fumble, fumble, punt, punt, blocked punt, INT, INT, and fumble) which is how the Warriors were able to take a commanding lead going up 44 - 8 at the half. Halftime Takeaways Marian Catholic Their offense has been shut down for most of the first half but got things going in the final minutes with a 70 yard TD run by [player_tooltip player_id="20239" first="Tajheem" last="Lawson"]. The Spartans need to get the run game going and feed Lawson the ball more, so far he only has 6 carries. On defense, they keep giving up big plays on third down or they have penalties to extend the Warrior’s drive. They did close out the half with an INT to gain momentum heading into the second half, so let’s see if that helps spark a comeback. Crete-Monee They are dominating on offense in the run and passing game. The Warriors continue to produce big plays and they got the run game going early on which helped open up the passing game. On defense, they’ve shut the Spartans down. They’re shooting the gaps to limit [player_tooltip player_id="20239" first="Tajheem" last="Lawson"] and are doubling [player_tooltip player_id="65568" first="Justin" last="Stallworth"] downfield. This Warrior defense is focused on stopping the run first and has been doing a good job of keeping [player_tooltip player_id="20239" first="Tajheem" last="Lawson"] in check. What to look for in the Second Half Marian Catholic On offense, they need to get [player_tooltip player_id="20239" first="Tajheem" last="Lawson"] going. He had a 70 yard TD run to close out the half, he needs more carries if the Spartans want to get back into this game. On defense, they need to limit the penalties because it’s extending the Warrior’s drives which have all resulted in TDs. It’s a three-word phrase that comes to mind, "Do Your Job", that the Spartans need to take ownership of. Look for the Spartans to bring pressure to hinder the Warriors running game and get QB hurries. Crete-Monee On offense, the Warriors need to continue to pound the rock. They’ve had success running the ball with Charles Joseph and Ryan Mastin. They can work their pass game off of this and take deep shots downfield. On defense, look for them to continue to shoot the gaps hindering the run game and to bring pressure on passing downs. Second Half It was more of the same in the second half, the Spartans just couldn’t get things going on offense as this dominant Crete-Monee defense shut down the run and pass. The Warriors continued to shoot the gaps, sometimes stacking the box with 8 players and sending them on a blitz, to eliminate [player_tooltip player_id="20239" first="Tajheem" last="Lawson"] from the game and when the Spartans tried to pass the ball the Warriors would bracket [player_tooltip player_id="20239" first="Tajheem" last="Lawson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="65568" first="Justin" last="Stallworth"]. For the Warriros, they were able to get thier run game going on jet sweeps with the receivers and inside zone with the backs. Long story short, the Warriors finished off the game with two more touchdowns and the Spartans also got another TD late in the game with the younger guys on the team to get Varsity experience. They were able to move the ball well agains the Warriors on thier final two drives but it was too late to make a comeback as the Warriors won 57 - 14 against the Spartans. Game Stats Marian Catholic <ul> <li>Ronald Thomas III: 5/17 for 32 yards, 2 INT</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="20239" first="Tajheem" last="Lawson"]: 6 carries for 98 yards, 1 TD, 2 receptions for 20 yards</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="65543" first="Jahmar" last="Daniel"]: 6 tackles, 1 PBU</li> <li>Zion Horn: 3 receptions for 48 yards, 1 TD, 6 carries for 29 yards</li> </ul> Crete-Monee <ul> <li>Charles Smith: 10/20 for 98 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT</li> <li>Terry Elias Jr: 9 carries for 28 yards (1 TD), 2 tackles</li> <li>Joshua Franklin: 4 carries for 17 yards, 2 TDs</li> <li>Billups Lynel: 3 carries for 39 yards, 2 TDs</li> <li>Jamari Cobbins: 3 receptions for 68 yards, 2 TDs</li> <li>Raymond Arebalo: 5 tackles (1 sack, 2 TFL)</li> </ul> End of Game Crete-Monee (1-0) 57 - Marian Catholic (0-2) 14 Heading into the game I knew that it was going to be a tough game for Marian Catholic to win, but I also knew the talent that they have on the team wasn’t going to go down without a fight. I had Crete-Monee winning 35 - 21 against Marian Catholic in my preview, the deciding factor that ultimately caused the score to get out of hand were all the penalties the Spartans had on both sides of the ball. On offense it caused their drives to stall out and on defense, it continued the Warrior’s offensive drives. Quick Chat with HC Erick Middleton: I had the opportunity to talk with Coach Middleton after the game, he gave credit to his players for continuing to fight until the clock hit zero. The Spartans installed a new offensive scheme heading into this week 2 matchup, when asked about it coach had this to say, "We knew coming into the game that the Warriors watched our Week 1 film. We knew they were going to gameplan for the Power I & Singleback formations we used last week. We felt that our best chance to win was to come out in our new formations and have the Warrior’s defense on their toes on the first drive". Coach Middleton finished the conversation by giving credit to the Warrior’s coaching staff and players wishing them the best of luck in the remainder of their season. Key Takeaways Marian Catholic <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="20239" first="Tajheem" last="Lawson"] is a good back that will be a problem for opposing defenses the rest of the season and at the next level</li> <li>Duo of [player_tooltip player_id="65568" first="Justin" last="Stallworth"] and Kendall Thomas are ones to watch at DE, both can get pressure on the QB and stop the run</li> <li>CB [player_tooltip player_id="65543" first="Jahmar" last="Daniel"] holds his own in one on ones, under the radar talent</li> </ul> Crete-Monee <ul> <li>Offensive attack was impressive with QB Charles Smith, RB Charles Joseph, RB Ryan Mastin, WR Wijhonel Evans, WR Joshua Franklin, WR Billups Lynel, and WR Jamari Cobbins</li> <li>Defensive unit led by Terry Elias, [player_tooltip player_id="65768" first="Xavier" last="Slayton"], and Raymond Arebalo impressive as well</li> <li>Aggressive every second of the game, didn’t let their foot off of the gas pedal</li> <li>Team to watch moving forward</li> </ul> <hr /> Overall, this was a one-sided battle between Marian Catholic and Crete-Monee. The Spartan penalties hurt them early on and they couldn’t bounce back from the deficit. That being said, I wish the best to both of these teams for the remainder of the season. Marian Catholic takes on DePaul College Prep on Thursday, April 1st at 7:00 pm and Crete-Monee takes on Thornridge at home on Saturday, April 3rd at 9:00 am. Be sure to follow @jamaskane regarding news & information for Illinois High School Football, @PrepRedzoneIL, and @PrepRedzone.