It took a while for the visiting De Smet High football team to get it going offensively Friday night in its Metro Catholic Conference opener at ºüÀêÊÓƵ University High.
But that's life in the Metro Catholic Conference.
"We struggled offensively at times tonight, but that's going to happen, especially against a conference opponent," De Smet coach John Merritt said following his squad's 23-3 road win in the league opener for both squads. "From start to finish, I thought our defense was outstanding again tonight. SLUH really played us tough, especially in the first half, but we made a few adjustments and got the result we needed."
De Smet improved to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in MCC play. SLUH is 1-2 and 0-1.
"It took us a while to get it going tonight, but eventually we were able to take control,'' De Smet junior back Jayden McCaster said. "They frustrated us early — we knew they had a couple of top players in Landon Pace and Keenan Harris — and that we'd be in for a battle tonight. But we made the needed adjustments, trusted ourselves and eventually took control of the game."
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Spartans senior defender Quincy Byas added: "We did the job we wanted to do. We were flying around, making plays and doing what we could to limit their offense. And eventually, our offense got it going and allowed us to take control."
SLUH grabbed the lead after forcing a De Smet punt to open the game. The Junior Billikens went up 3-0 when Christian Ziegler booted a 32-yard field goal with 7:31 to play in the opening quarter.
The score remained 3-0 through a first half slowed by penalties on both sides.
De Smet broke through after a strong punt return from Trevon Collard to the SLUH 30 with just under 3 minutes to play before halftime. On a third-and-14 from the 34, quarterback Dillon Duff hooked up with McCaster on a short pass in the flat. And McCaster did the rest, cutting from his left to his right and picking up some key downfield blocks for the go-ahead score with 2:04 to play before halftime.
Mark Gaertner's kick allowed De Smet to take a 7-3 lead to the break.
"We needed a play and I'm glad I could step up,'' McCaster said.
The Spartans defense added to the lead just after the break as senior AJ Byerley picked off a pass in the flat and raced 29 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown with 10:25 to play in the third quarter. Gaertner added the kick for a 14-3 De Smet advantage.
The Spartans stretched their advantage late in the third quarter. After a tipped pass was picked off by De Smet's Jason King, the drive was capped when Duff hooked up with Liam Russo on a pass across the middle for a 33-yard touchdown and a 20-3 De Smet lead. The point-after try was blocked.
Gaertner closed out night's scoring at 23-3 with 6:47 to play when he kicked a 20-yard field goal.
"When we play defense like that, in control and winning the field position game, we know we're going to be successful,'' Merritt said. "Quincy Byas really played well tonight and so did (defensive lineman) Titan Davis and (defensive backs) Tre Collard and AJ Byerley. And I thought Luke Mosquera was tremendously disruptive tonight. We were able to play a bunch of guys on defense and I think that'll make us a force to be reckoned with."
De Smet's string of four consecutive MCC contests will continue next week when it plays host to CBC.
"It's another huge test," Byas said. "But we'll wait until (Saturday) to start thinking about that one."
SLUH also returns to action Friday, playing at Lutheran St. Charles.
"We have to cut down on the mistakes," Junior Billikens coach Adam Cruz said. "The penalties killed us. It seemed like we were constantly behind the sticks, and you can't be successful that way, especially against a quality opponent."
Cruz continued: "I liked the way our defense battled tonight. We had a few missed tackles on their TD pass at the end of the first half and killed ourselves with the turnover to start the second half. But we also played some strong defense against a very good opponent. We graduated 21 seniors, so this is a junior-heavy squad with a lot of room for growth. Let's face it, nobody feels sorry for you, especially nobody in the MCC."