Ireton Shuts Out Jackson-Reed, 38-0
Bishop Ireton Quarterback Omar Diallo and the rest of the team looked like they had something to prove when they took the field Friday night, dominating the Jackson-Reed Tigers from start to finish in a 38-0 drubbing. After a grueling 1-9 season in 2022, it was evident on day one that the Cardinals viewed this season as a fresh start. That fresh start began on a humid Friday night at Horace Fleming III Field in Tenleytown. Jackson-Reed seems to still be working out the kinks, as they struggled to keep pace.
Bishop Ireton came out of the gate flying. On the opening kickoff, BI returner Aaron Rocke scooped up the ball within his team’s own 10-yard line, broke through several Tigers’ defenders and bolted all the way to the end zone. After one play, it was 6-0 Cardinals. After a quick 3-and-out from Jackson-Reed, the Cardinals used their run game to roll over their defense. Bishop Ireton Quarterback Omar Diallo, who proved to be unstoppable all game long, capped the drive by lining up under center and sneaking the ball into the end zone from just within the 5- yard line. After jumping out to a 14-0 lead, they never looked back. Even with the Tiger defense stringing together a few stops as the first half progressed, too many chances were given to the high-powered Cardinal offense.
In the second quarter, Diallo threw a beautiful over-the-shoulder pass to the back of the end zone that landed right in the hands of Aaron Rocke. The gut punch came with 4:31 left in the first half, when Diallo again exploded for a long TD from the Cardinals’ own 24-yard line.
Jackson-Reed’s offense simply never got it going. They started with two quick 3-and- outs, and the drives that came after were only minimally better. The Tigers struggled to complete passes, and on the ground, the BI defensive line outmuscled them at every turn. At the end of the first half, Bishop Iceton was up 27-0.
The next score came with four minutes left in the third quarter, as Diallo again charged across the goal line to finish up the drive, giving the Cardinal’s a 35-0 lead. The game was then interrupted by a thunder and lightning storm, prompting a 1/2 hour delay. When the game resumed, it appeared that the Tigers had gotten a spark, as the team returned the ball close to midfield. That momentum was quickly stopped as the the the mighty BI defense forced a fumble. A long field goal in the final few minutes added some salt to the wound for Jackson- Reed. Losing 38-0 at home was not what they had envisioned for the season opener.
Jackson-Reed Head Coach Minoso Rodgers had a simple message for his team after the game. “We gotta be better,” he said, as he approached the tunnel leading into the locker room. “We gotta figure out who really wants it. I think we had some guys that probably wasn’t ready on the field today.”
While out is only week 1, its clear that Jackson-Reed need to improve in a lot of areas. Next week, they face a Yorktown High on the road in Arlington. As for Bishop Ireton, they will certainly seek to build on the momentum and let the revenge tour roll on in Baltimore against Mount Carmel High School.
