Ravenscroft football
Crusaders clip Ravens late
Despite an explosive first half and a never-give-up attitude, the Ravenscroft football team fell to rival Cardinal Gibbons 21-13 Friday night.
On the game's opening series, the Crusaders' offense called an audible on its first play, but Ravenscroft junior Dan Lang read it perfectly and caused a fumble. Although Cardinal Gibbons recovered the loose ball, two plays later the Crusaders wouldn't be as fortunate.
Again the Ravens jarred the ball free and Brandon Park recovered.
Although Ravenscroft’s first offensive series stalled, a fumble on the ensuing Crusaders’ possession placed the ball back in the Ravens' hands.
On a first down, the Ravens’ offense used smoke and mirrors to confuse the Cardinal Gibbon secondary, allowing QB Quinn Billerman to hit senior Hartland Jones on a 29-yard touchdown pass.
Junior Storm Baker nailed the extra point, giving the Ravens a 7-0 lead.
Park came up big in the Ravens' the next defensive series, blowing up one play in the backfield, and later chasing down Crusaders’ QB Doug Burton on a huge third and seven, forcing a punt.
Ravenscroft had several stellar individual performances on the next series, including a highlight-reel block by sophomore Jake Morin, who sealed the edge against three Crusaders helping teammate Temple Sloan race upfield.
On the next play, Sloan took a handoff nearly 30 yards, down to the Cardinal Gibbons 2-yard line. Ravenscroft junior Connor Gonet then bulldozed his way to the end zone from five yards out as time expired in the first quarter.
Unfortunately, the Ravens were unable to convert the PAT, but they still maintained a 13-0 advantage.
Later on, Ravenscroft head coach Ned Gonet called the kick "a missed opportunity.”
The squads traded possessions in the second quarter, and the Ravens, led by Jones and Gonet, keep the Crusaders' offense under wraps. Ravenscroft managed to drive for a field-goal attempt, but the kick missed its mark.
The Crusaders wasted no time responding as QB Dough Burton hit James Hickey on a 83-yard TD strike, breathing new life into a Cardinal Gibbons stadium. And the game went into intermission, 13-7 Ravenscroft.
Strong defensive play by the Ravens — including a sack by Gonet, and bone-crushing hits from senior Monroe Brown — headlined the scoreless third quarter. Senior Shane Bird also spent plenty of time in the opponent's backfield, lending a hand on several stops and keeping the Crusaders off the scoreboard.
Behind Gonet and Sloan, the Ravens' rushing attack got the offense moving, but a costly fumble handed the ball back to Cardinal Gibbons. Several bruising runs later, the Crusaders' Austin Donald scored on a 7-yard touchdown dash. With the PAT, Cardinal Gibbons took its first lead, 14-13 in the fourth quarter.
On their next series, the Ravens drove to mid-field, but were stopped on a crucial fourth down.
The Crusaders seized the opportunity to put the game out of reach, and Donald scored his second TD, reaching the end zone from 33 yards out.
With time running out, the Ravens tried to move through the air, and had some success, completing a sensational 34-yard pass to Bird. The catch brought Ravenscroft to mid-field. But three players later, the Crusaders' WIll Bremen picked off a Billerman pass, sealing the victory.
After the game, Gonet expressed his pride to the team. “You played with heart,” he said. “You never gave up.”
Looking ahead, the Ravens' coach to his players to “take it out on the next opponent.”
“I hope it hurts a bit,” Gonet added. “It hurts, but it rolls.”
Billerman finished 12 for 29 for 124 yards, a touchdown and two INTs. Connor Gonet gained 56 rushing yards on 15 carries, and Sloan added another 53 yards on eight rushes. Gonet also record a team-high nine tackles in the defeat.
The 2-2 Ravens host Forsyth Country Day Thursday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m.
