Knights Bring It

St. Joseph quarterback Gavin Kelly didn't bring his lunchbox to work on Friday night.

But he sure did bring everything else.

He brought his throwing arm, tossing for 92 yards and a touchdown - one that all but sealed the game. He brought his strong offensive line - and his wheels - running for 55 yards and two more touchdowns.

Most importantly, he brought St. Joseph enough firepower to go up on the visiting Cabrillo Conqs earlier in what became a 36-6 win on homecoming night.

And when it was all said and done, Kelly ended up with the lunchbox anyway.

Kelly's well-rounded effort earned him an honor bestowed after each season's homecoming game - the homecoming game lunchbox, awarded by St. Joseph alumni to the game's standout player.

“Gavin has been playing extremely well,” St. Joseph coach Mike Hartman said. “ ... He understands what we want out of our offense and when to attack the defense.”

Kelly wasted little time before he attacked, and defeated, the defense. Six plays to be exact.

On just the sixth play of the game, he scampered to the near-side on an option play and broke loose for a 36-yard touchdown.

“The option is a difficult offense to defend,” Hartman said. “Some offenses will just run an option left or right all game.”

Kelly gave the credit to his teammates in the trenches.

“My linemen did really well tonight,” Kelly said. “They opened up some big holes.”

Those linemen included P.J. Cano, Jonathan Thomas, Evan Ferini, Jimmy Aldridge and John Sua - the last of which scored a late touchdown on a 1-yard plunge up the middle.

Most of the game's fireworks came before - and during halftime - on a homecoming night that saw senior Staci McCracken named homecoming queen.

The quick start proved Hartman's squad was not affected by the pre-game hype and festivities.

“It's homecoming, and that means a lot of distractions,” Hartman said. “Sometimes it's hard to focus. But the kids did a great job of focusing.”

Kelly entered the game having thrown for 604 yards on 52-of-84 pass connections, including five touchdowns. He also had gained 124 yards on the ground, along with three rushing TDs.

After the early scamper put St. Joseph up 6-0 (following a missed kick), the Knights held the Conqs to a three-and-out on defense.

Once again, it was time for St. Joseph's offensive standouts - led by Kelly and running back Russell Perkins - to take over. Perkins kicked off an 11-play drive with an 8-yard run, using Ferini's blocking as a path to open space. He gained another nine and four yards on his next two carries. That's when Kelly wrestled the attention away from his talented sophomore battering ram.

Kelly hit wide receiver/tight end Scott Cathcart for 11 yards, on the night's first pass attempt, and later found Travis English for another 16-yard gain. After Perkins and Cathcart had minimal rushing gains, Kelly faked a handoff to his running back (Perkins) and took the pigskin into the endzone on a 7-yard quarterback keeper. The 2-point conversion failed, but nevertheless, St. Joseph led after the first quarter, 12-0.

St. Joseph was just as impressive in the second, opening the quarter as offensive opportunists. After Cabrillo failed to achieve a first-down, it's punt attempt went awry on a high snap. The punter had no option but to fall on the ball - at the St. Joseph 12-yard line.

To the Conqs' credit, they held St. Joseph to a field goal - a 27-yard boot from Anthony Gallegos. However, Kelly wasn't finished.

With 3:48 left in the quarter and the Knights once again threatening on offense, Hartman called 󈫿 counter” for his junior quarterback. The play was a fade pass to the near-side of the endzone.

But Kelly noticed Cabrillo's free safety playing the near-side, and instead sent the fade pass to wide receiver Travis Biegel on the far-side for a 20-yard touchdown - and backbreaker.

In the meantime, linebackers Ryan McKellar and Nick Puhek, and free safety Camron Sewell, kept the Conqs in check.

The gameplan was to contain star running back Bennie Garrett, who entered the game averaging 117.8 yards per game. Garrett finished with 108 yards on 25 carries Friday.

“That was the focus on defense this week,” Hartman said. “A kid with that many carries and yards, you take notice. He's very good and very quick.”

It was Garrett that drove the Conqs down the field late in the first half, setting up Cabrillo's lone touchdown of the game on Matt Rotondi's 1-yard punch-in. The kick failed.

St. Joseph added to its lead in the second half on Sua's 1-yard run and a 39-yard Perkins' run. St. Joseph travels to Templeton for another league game next Friday.

Oct. 13, 2007