The St. Laurence Vikings defeated the DePaul Prep Rams 48-0 this afternoon (Sept. 28, 2019) in Burbank.
The Vikings had seven first half touchdowns: a punt return, a fumble recovery, an interception return and at least two on offense. I lost track of the two of the TDs. Frankly, the Vikings were just bigger, faster and stronger.
The Vikings starting running back, (#28, sorry I dropped my roster), is the real thing. He is as good a running back as I have seen this year. At one point in the first quarter, the Rams had him stopped but he refused to go down. It finally took six or seven Rams to bring him down.
Rams senior quarterback Zach Burhans had some nice on-time throws with some zip for completions and first downs. Unfortunately, he had just as many that late wobblers that went for interceptions or incompletions. At one point I heard DePaul Prep’s first year head coach, Mike Passarella, yelling to Zach, “You gotta play with confidence.” When Zach puts it all together, watch out, he can be very good.
I like what Coach Passarella is doing on offense and defense. His plays are well designed and well suited to his personnel. He calls good plays in good combinations. Despite having to pass, he doesn’t abandon the run.
The defense is on the field a lot. The tackling leaves something to be desired but the boys are not out of position. Even being undersized at almost every position, there is plenty of fight in the defense. The team seems well prepared. But just doesn’t have the horses.
Marian Catholic next Friday’s away game is another Red Division foe. The 3-1 Spartans should prove another tough test.
