Benilde-St. Margaret’s vs. Richfield: Offensive standouts

On the offensive side of the ball, the quarterbacks were the main attraction Tuesday night in Richfield when <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/10/bsm-perfectly-bookends-a-playoff-victory/">Benilde-St. Margaret’s moved to the second round of the playoffs by shutting out Richfield 28-0</a>. Both offenses struggled in the second and third quarters, but BSM’s offense put together two excellent quarters to get the victory. [player_tooltip player_id="112192" first="Jamarrius" last="Courtney"] <strong>Benilde-St. Margaret’s QB</strong> Courtney was the most physical skill position player on the field and the most physical quarterback I have seen all year. He didn’t have too much success throwing, but he hit a couple of nice crossing patterns and throws in the flat. Before they adjusted, he was giving the Spartans’ defense all kinds of trouble. A keeper for 20 yards, a scramble up the middle for ten yards, and a patient run setting up his blockers for ten more yards set up the first score of the game, which was a cutback run by Courtney for a ten-yard touchdown. His best run might have been a ten-yard run on the next drive in which he bullied his way through five defenders for the final five yards of the run. [player_tooltip player_id="116264" first="Mitchell" last="January"] <strong>Richfield QB</strong> Despite his team being shut out (and his four interceptions), January was the most electric player on the field. A designed quarterback run to the outside picked up ten yards. Some dropped balls victimized him, but he connected on a crossing route for twenty yards. Usually in the shotgun, a snap over his head forced January to improvise. Instead of a ten-yard loss, he scooped up the ball and looked like he was playing in the backyard - improvising his way to a twenty-yard gain. He threw a nice ball on short and intermediate routes. Under immediate pressure, the senior threw off his back foot and completed a pass for a first down. He also punts, and when a snap went over his head, he used his athletic ability on the broken play and nearly picked the first down, turning a ten-yard loss into a fifteen-yard gain and almost a first down. His best throw was not one you would teach. He threw across his body on the move for a first down. <strong>Max Herro Benilde-St. Margaret’s RB</strong> Early in the game, Herro’s cutback run for 30 yards got called back because of a hold, but the run showed his solid footwork. When the game was still in doubt, he picked up tough yards up the middle, picking up first downs late in the game. He officially put the game away with a walk-in five-yard touchdown run. <strong>Elijah Randle Richfield RB</strong> Randle was able to use his quickness to get to the outside on some runs. He showed his speed and footwork when he caught a screen pass and made people miss for fifteen yards. [player_tooltip player_id="116266" first="Daniel" last="Porisch"] <strong>Benilde-St. Margaret’s OL</strong> Porisch threw a trap block to spring Herro. Along with fellow offensive lineman <strong>Jeffrey Raymond</strong>, he opened a big hole for his running back. Another trap block opened a hole for another long run. <strong>Casey Gay Richfield WR</strong> Gay made the best catch of the night. He got lit up by a defender coming across the middle but hung on to the ball. <strong>Max Benning Benilde-St. Margaret’s WR</strong> Benning caught a crossing route, made a cut, and picked up 20 yards and a first down. He grabbed another crossing pattern and cut up the sidelines for a touchdown, but it was called back because of a penalty. <strong>Trevon Cunningham Richfield WR</strong> Cunningham was the Spartans’ most reliable pass catcher. He caught at least three balls on crossing routes. <strong>Khalif Brown Benilde-St. Margaret’s WR</strong> The freshman used his speed on an end-around for a first down. He made a catch in the flat, made a move in the open field, and picked up a first down. He showed his speed and quickness when he caught a bubble screen and turned it into a twenty-five-yard gain. <strong>Quick hits</strong> <strong>Jeffrey Raymond Benilde-St. Margaret’s OL</strong> – a block with Jack Dietz sprung Jonathon Gettel for ten yards <strong>CJ Sauer Benilde-St. Margaret’s OL</strong> - at least twice, he threw the key block to spring Courtney