By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
Andrew Passero looked at his would-be blockers and shrugged, inciting laughter from the McQuaid sideline. A teammate had instructed Passero to signal for a fair catch around the 10-yard line. The booming punt ended up looking returnable.
The late-game moment provided a rare moment of limitation; it was one of the only times Passero wasn’t in position to make a big play.
The Knights gave their 5-foot-6 senior 25 carries on Friday night and he rewarded their playcalling: 173 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-7 victory over Rush-Henrietta. McQuaid improved to 4-0 with three games left in its regular season.
Passero’s impactful night more than redeemed a first-quarter fumble at Rush-Henrietta’s eight-yard line that led to a Raphael Williams touchdown reception the other way.
The Royal Comets’ touchdown was the first quarter’s only score. Passero made it an afterthought.
“I made a mistake. Gotta move on and not worry about it,” Passero said.
Passero scored all three touchdowns in the second quarter to swing momentum the Knights’ way. All three came on goal-line carries, but Passero set up two of those himself on notable catch-and-runs: a 26-yard reception on the second, a 12-yard play on the third.
The latter two touchdowns were recorded in a three-minute span as Passero quickly took over the game.
“I love splitting out and playing some slot,” Passero commented. “Even if I don’t get the ball, I know hopefully I’ll take some attention with me and someone else will make a play. That’s what happened in the third quarter.”
The play Passero referenced was the capper to McQuaid’s dominant win: Josh Gaddy’s touchdown reception with 19 seconds left in the third to extend the lead to 28-7. The connection was a highlight of Knights quarterback Joe Cairns’s 13-for-15, 162-yard performance.
All part of an efficient night for the Knight offense.
“It’s great to be able to hand the ball off to Andrew like that,” Bobby Bates remarked, “but you know what else it is? It’s a lot of trust in your line to be able to do that. I just think that putting the whole thing together, it’s a team game man. The prep work that we do Monday through Friday is very essential in what we’re doing. But it is nice to be able to hand it off to No. 3.”
Passero’s outing may have overshadowed McQuaid’s defensive performance, but the Knights prevented the Royal Comets from even sniffing a comeback. They corralled three interceptions, with Tim Oberlies snagging two picks and Sam Perozzi coming down with a deep ball in the back of the end zone.
The Knights have allowed just 21 points over their last three games.
“I love the way our defense is playing. Our coaches do a great job of getting them ready,” Bates said. “We’ve got kids who are just starting to fly around and making big-time plays, tackles and interceptions and turning the ball over. You’ve gotta win the turnover battle.”
As for the 4-0 start, McQuaid didn’t show an inkling of satisfaction.
“We’ve gotta go out and beat each team like we’re not 4-0,” Passero said.
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