By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
His team had already scored 35 points, built a 28-point lead and all but secured its sixth win of a currently unblemished season. His ground game was getting the job done without the help of injured running back Andrew Passero, while his defense was stingy, save one drive before halftime.
McQuaid head coach Bobby Bates, however, was still as fired up for a stellar punt coverage around the 15-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter as he was for any of the five touchdowns that preceded it.
“That’s a great job, black! Great job, black!” Bates yelled. “Way to be coachable, guys!”
The punt team was a point of emphasis in McQuaid’s afternoon walkthrough. The proper execution of the special teams play, and the extra yards the punt garnered, earned Bates’s appreciation.
“It was a simple play,” Bates recalled. “We punted the ball down to them and they didn’t catch it so we let the ball roll. And we talked about today, if you’re in a game where you’re ahead and you want to get some more time off the clock, to let it roll out…
“Even if it’s just four or five seconds that tick off the clock, more time gets taken off. It was nothing more than guys listening to what we talked about in our walkthrough.”
The attention to detail Bates expects from his team paid off, as the Knights were able to answer a long Webster Schroeder touchdown on the ensuing drive with more scores of their own to defeat the Warriors 49-14. The Knights improved to 6-0, making it a happy Senior Night.
McQuaid continued to commit to the run game in Passero’s absence. Jack Miller had 18 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns, while Jack Beauchamp recorded seven rushes for 94 yards, also scoring twice.
The Knights ran the ball a total of 27 times for 221 yards compared to 12 pass completions for 154 yards. Quarterback Joe Cairns was also sharp, to the benefit of Casey Howlett and Jordan Brongo, who each caught four passes and had a touchdown reception. But it’s no secret that the Knights like giving the ball to their halfbacks.
“Everybody did a great job,” Bates said. “We’ve got a bunch of running backs there that do a great job. We’ll monitor Andrew, see how he does this week and see where we go from there.”
McQuaid’s offense was formidable, but its defensive and special teams units powered the 35-point margin. Howlett, Xander Rita and Jeff Gerstner each intercepted Webster QB Braden Pumpitus; Gerstner returned his pick for a touchdown late in the fourth.
Aldrin Wilson tallied seven tackles to lead the Knights, while Brongo was credited with 1.5 sacks. On special teams, an errant snap that went over the Schroeder punter’s head led to Miller’s first touchdown.
“Outstanding effort by our defense,” Bates commented. “I thought our defensive line played an incredible game. They did a good job against a very solid and well-coached offensive line. I just was really proud of the way they did that.
“And I think it goes back to what we did this week in practice, what we did Monday through Thursday… we had a very solid week, a very business-like approach to practice. I thought the guys executed that perfectly.”
This McQuaid team brings back memories of their section V dominance in the mid to late 1970s…they have a team spirit that is remarkable…they are fun to watch and with McQuaid’s reemergence the Rochester area can look forward to a season that end’s without yet another football factory victory by Aquinas….Go McQuaid!