Game Rewind: White, defense power St. Christopher’s past Bullis

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Christopher's (VA) left no doubt on Friday night. The Saints leaned on their defense and a huge game from running back Aidan White to shut out Bullis (MD), 17-0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From the opening drive, it was clear this would be a defensive battle. Bullis quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='909784' first='Dillon' last='Faust'] tried to test the St. Christopher's secondary with deep throws, but&nbsp;Elisha Asare&nbsp;stayed tight in coverage. Up front,&nbsp; defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='235425' first='Darius' last='Gray']&nbsp;was disruptive. He tipped passes at the line and pressured Faust into hurried throws. Bullis moved the ball between the 20s, but the Saints kept closing the door.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Christopher's offense also struggled to find rhythm early.&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1318841' first='Chase' last='Roberts']&nbsp;had a pass intercepted by Shawn Springs in the first quarter, and Bullis defensive back&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1314062' first='Chris' last='Tangelo'] picked off another tipped ball in the second. But the Saints stayed patient. White began to find lanes behind Gray and&nbsp;Nate Roberts, breaking off chunk runs that wore down the Bulldogs' front.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The breakthrough came midway through the second quarter. On a play-action look, Roberts found&nbsp;JJ Tidwell&nbsp;on a seam route. The wideout hauled it in, spun away from a defender, and sprinted into the end zone for a 32-yard score. That gave St. Christopher's a 7-0 lead, which it carried into halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bullis nearly flipped the game at the start of the third quarter. A fumble by White gave the Bulldogs the ball at the Saints' 28-yard line. But the defense responded again.&nbsp;Finn Walter&nbsp;jumped a slant route and intercepted Faust inside the 10, returning it near midfield. That turnover flipped the momentum for good.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roberts put together a steady drive after the interception, mixing short passes and QB runs. The Saints stalled in the red zone, but kicker&nbsp;William Sterling&nbsp;drilled a 36-yard field goal to make it 10-0 with 5:30 left in the third.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defense handled the rest. Gray added a sack in the fourth quarter, while&nbsp;Collin Johnson&nbsp;came down with another interception. Bullis' best chance came late, but a missed field goal ended the drive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>White iced the game with his best run of the night. He broke free on a 46-yard carry, weaving through defenders and putting St. Christopher's inside the 20. Two plays later, Roberts kept the ball on a fake handoff and sprinted around the edge for an 8-yard touchdown. That pushed the lead to 17-0 with just over three minutes left.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The win gives St. Christopher's a 3-0 record while Bullis falls to 1-2. St. Christopher's will go on the road next week to take on Norfolk Academy (3-0) while Bullis will take on Loudoun Sports Academy (2-1) at home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>QUICK THOUGHTS ON THE GAME<br></strong>Bullis had a few chances to put points on the board, but turnovers and St. Christopher's defense did them in. Cedric Youty ([player_tooltip player_id='523060' first='Cedric' last='Kouemi']) did not play until the second half of the game for unknown reasons. Bullis might've been able to get things flowing better on offense if he had been available in the first half. Aidan White had a strong night running the football for SC. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1318841' first='Chase' last='Roberts'] made some nice runs and completed some timely passes to keep the offense moving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->