Offense was hard to come by as torrential downpours hindered the game on Saturday between the Landon Bears and St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes Saints, but Landon produced just enough offense and held the Saints in check proficiently to hold on to a critical 12-0 victory. Successful defense and special teams play gave the Bears the slight edge that was just enough to grab the game’s only points and the win as a result, as the game between two of the premier teams in the IAC was intensely fought out.
Despite the turf field at St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes, the playing surface caused many difficulties on offense throughout the game, and it seemed clear early that it was not going to be a game featuring considerably more impressive defense than offense.
“We’re excited,” said Landon head coach Rob Bordley following the game, “St. Stephen’s is a well-coached team, and we knew they’d be well prepared. They’re a Wing-T team just like us, so they know the strengths and weaknesses, and on a day like this when neither team really had the choice to throw, it was all just about execution.”
It was immediately evident in the first few minutes of the game that it was going to be a battle of the defenses, as the punts began moving like clockwork. Every two minutes the punter would be on the field ready to give the ball back again. Needless to say, it was a busy day for Chip Phillips of the Saints and Kiel Wiegmann of the Bears, as they were consistently returning to the field to punt it away.
The first offensive chance of the day for either team came as a result of strong special teams, as Landon blocked a Saints punt a few minutes in to the second quarter, giving them the ball on the opposition’s 25-yard line. The Bears managed to push within 10 yards of the endzone, but were then stopped on three successive running plays. Although they had to settle for a 23-yard field goal kicked by junior Bradley Grossman, it would give them a lead that they would hold for the remaining six minutes and into the end of the first half.
The third quarter started to bring out more of the expected energy from both sides, as they tried to ignore the inconvenient weather and push on with the game. It was more special teams and defense that were making the biggest impact on the game; however, Landon’s first punt of the quarter was tipped out of bound, giving the Saints good field position to work with and try to get their own points. That possibility was wiped out on the very next play as the Saints fumbled the ball, and Landon’s William Korengold was there to fall on it for the Bears.
The drives began to garner a little more success for both teams, but the defenses continued to play hard and use the elements to their advantage. A strong ensuing Landon drive was halted at the Saints’ 15-yard line as another fumble was recovered, this time by Ryan Thermil. It was the Bears, however, who would make the first real indent on the game, as on their next drive senior running back Delonte Wellington broke free from a few tackles and sprinted all 30 yards to get into the endzone, gifting his team a much safer 10-0 lead.
As players from both sides continued to struggle with their footing on the field, the story of the game persisted as defense continued to have its way. Another good drive for Landon early in the fourth quarter nearly broke the game wide open, but after some excellently carved runs by senior running back Joseph Paoletta, the Bears were unable to break into the endzone on four consecutive running plays from only a few yards out, and were forced to give the ball over on downs. With the Saints’ backs against the wall, they could not find a way to get through the dominant Bears’ line, and had to try to punt it away on fourth down from their own 1-yard line. The following play seemed almost inevitable, however, as punter Chip Phillips struggled to gain control of the ball from the snap, dropped it, where one of his own teammates had to fall on it to secure the safety instead of a touchdown.
One last breath of life was blown into the Saints, as on the proceeding kickoff, Paoletta fumbled the ball for the Bears, and the Saints recovered it to have another attempt at a score in the six minutes remaining. They were finally able to string a few successful plays together, including a nice pass from quarterback David Solomon to Darius Lee on a crucial fourth down. The Saints managed to pass and run the ball all the way to the 10-yard line, but it was at this point that the offense broke down, more similarly to the way it had been the rest of the game. Unable to get any of the four attempted passes into the endzone, the Saints had to turn the ball over on downs, effectively ending the game with only a minute and a half remaining. The Bears would take a few knees to close the game out with a score of 12-0.
“The conditions were pretty horrendous today,” acknowledged Coach Bordley on his team’s laborious victory, “but our defense and our special teams had to come through and they did. Neither team was really able to string many passes together, it was just one of those days. So we are certainly very happy with the win.”
The Bears lifted themselves to a 6-1 overall record with the win, remaining an undefeated 2-0 in conference play. They will host Bullis next week, followed by a deep rivalry game against Georgetown Prep, and will end the season with the game that will most likely decide the IAC Championship for the 2009 season, as they take on the St. Albans Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, the Saints of St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes will look to keep their hopes alive as they host Episcopal and then travel to St. Albans the week before Landon does. While it will be tough to recover from the loss, as they dropped to 1-1 in the conference and 5-2 overall, they will simply look to play out the season as efficiently as possible, and do whatever they can to remain contenders.
IAC Football
Scoring Summary
Second Quarter: Landon Field Goal, 3-0
23-Yard Kick by Bradley Grossman
Third Quarter: Landon Touchdown, 10-0
30-Yard Run by Delonte Wellington (Grossman kick)
Fourth Quarter: Landon Safety, 12-0
SSSA falls on loose ball in endzone
Game Stats
Rushing Leaders
Landon: Wellington 14-83, McDonough 12-41, Paoletta 6-41, Wills 12-36
St. Stepen's: Solomon 5-26, Winbush 6-18, Phillips 6-7, Sehrer 1-3, Manora 2-2, Edwards 3-1
Passing Leaders
Landon: McDonough 1-9-6
St. Stephen's: Solomon 3-9-34
Receiving Leaders
Landon: Dodson 1-6
St. Stephen's: Manora 2-21, Lee 2-20, Phillips 1-19
