Ravenscroft football
Ravenscroft junior Daniel Lang (45) is one of several promising returners coming back next fall, said head coach Ned Gonet, who expects good things from the Ravens in 2010.
Ravens fall in playoffs, but outlook in 2010 looks promising
It wasn't a picturesque ending to the 2009 season for the Ravenscroft football team last week at Charlotte Christian.
The Knights piled on 38 first-half points en route to a convincing 45-22 victory in the NCISAA semifinals match-up, never really allowing the Ravens to get into the contest.
Charlotte set the tone early, converting two Ravenscroft turnovers into scores, and taking a 17-0 lead through the first quarter.
"It was important that we try and control the tempo of the game and unfortunately that was exactly what didn't happen," said Ravenscroft head coach Ned Gonet. "We were playing from behind early on, and that's exactly what you don't want to have to do down there."
Even when the Ravens showed life, the Knights squashed their momentum.
After Connor Gonet burst into the end zone from two yards out in the second quarter, making the game 24-7, Charlotte retaliated quickly, returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.
"That really hurt us," Coach Gonet said. "And that put more space between us and them. It was sort of a backbreaker."
The mix of Ravenscroft turnovers and Charlotte's aggressive play were the biggest factors in the one-sided first half. (Just three weeks earlier the two teams faced off in a hard-fought contest, with the Knights pulling out a narrow 21-14 victory.)
"They came out and got after us pretty good and we didn't react to the opening bell," Gonet said.
Following the Knights' early scoring spree, Ravenscroft QB Quinn Billerman connected with receiver Shane Bird on two touchdown passes, one in the second quarter and again in the fourth, but Charlotte's lead was already insurmountable.
Gonet finished with 21 rushes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Billerman completed 13 of 32 passes for 124 yards, with two TDs and two INTs. Bird hauled in six catches for 69 yards.
While the postseason loss might have left a sour taste, the defeat can't ruin an otherwise overachieving 8-5 finish from a Ravens' team which had little expectations entering the year.
Having lost several key players from a 9-2 2008 squad, Ravenscroft needed to fill holes throughout its roster this fall.
Gonet admits "going into the 2009 campaign, we had a lot of areas that were a mystery to us."
But the Ravens — which brought in several first-year varsity players, including Billerman at quarterback — battled hard and learned from its early miscues to earn a second consecutive Big East Conference title.
After a 3-3 start, Ravenscroft won five of its last six games, advancing to the semifinals — the same place the 2008 squad reached.
"We had some growing pains early," Gonet said. "We didn't know what we'd get from the quarterback position, and I think early on, we were very simple in what we did."
But midway through the season, the Ravens showed vast improvement — on both sides of the ball.
Sophomore Jake Morin (3) is expected to help the Ravens contend for another league title in 2010.
Billerman developed into a reliable signal caller, Bird and fellow senior Hartland Jones provided the deep threats as Gonet continued to gash opponents on the ground.
Gonet praised his senior class, singling out guys like Bird, Jones, Alex Spears, Austin Moorman, Chris Struthers, Monroe Brown and Robert Winston for their leadership and play.
"A lot of these kids have been in our program for the past six years and have been a big part of the Ravenscroft program and family," the coach said. "And they've been a part of some pretty good wins."
Gonet added he personally challenged Bird to become a key contributor this season, and the senior responded. "He stepped up in a big way for us, and he had a great year," he said.
While the Ravens will miss those upperclassmen — Gonet called Spear the "heartbeat of the defense" — the coach is excited for the youngsters returning for his 30th year as head coach.
Billerman, Gonet, Temple Sloan, Daniel Lang, John Haslett, Matt McDowell and Nicholas Ritcher are solid pieces coming back next fall as well as up-and-comers like Kevin Stewart, Will Massey, Jake Morin and Conor Fry.
"We lose some pretty good seniors, but we feel like we have quite a few kids already in place for next year," he said. "That should give us an advantage going into the 2010 season.
But to capitalize on their potential, the squad must work this offseason.
"This is the same statement I make at the end of the year to our returning guys, 'What you do between now and next season is going to dictate how we do next year,'" Gonet said. "But I think this group of kids will take on the challenge."
