Not fazed by late change of plans
Playing a different opponent, Cavs triumph
Archbishop Spalding wasn’t even supposed to be playing football Saturday, but a late scratch Friday called the Cavaliers to action.
Coach Kyle Schmitt always stresses to his players to “stay ready.” That, they did.
Visiting Spalding avenged last year’s stumble against Calvert Hall and began its unusual season with a 17-7 win, largely because it embodied that perpetual motto.
“We’ve been saying that, honestly, since April. Just ‘stay ready, stay ready,’ and it’s so hard,” Schmitt said, “because they were given so many negatives and I’m just really proud because they were ready.”
The Cavaliers felt fortunate to win, given that they were initially scheduled to play Mount Saint Joseph on Saturday. But the Gaels canceled Thursday due to a positive coronavirus test. On Friday, Calvert Hall’s original opponent, St. Mary’s, reported a positive case and canceled.
Schmitt said they didn’t think twice about playing when the Cardinals gave them a call and asked them to replace St. Mary’s.
“We were all in. I told the O-line, it’s like some of those elite units — not to compare it to the military at all — but those elite units train and train and train and then they get a call Friday night, ‘Hey you’re up tomorrow,’” Schmitt said. “That was the mindset. I’m super proud of them. They’re super awesome kids and I just cherish any time we get.”
Cavaliers quarterback Nick Gutierrez showed a readiness to take the reins of the offense in his starting debut, finishing 18 of 27 for 128 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a team-high 84 yards on 13 carries, while Shamar Esbrand-Smith rumbled for 83 yards on 18 carries.
Spalding expected its returning starting quarterback, Austin Tutas, to lead the show, but the senior transferred to a school in Texas. So Schmitt and the Spalding offense put their faith in Gutierrez, last year’s backup. Schmitt knew he wouldn’t let the team down.
“I think Austin was a great mentor for me — he allowed me to do a lot of great things and I learned a lot — but I’m just really excited and fortunate for this opportunity,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez gathered momentum for his Cavaliers quickly, rocketing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Penn State commit
Zakee Wheatley in the first quarter.
The momentum shifted when Calvert Hall blocked a Spalding field goal attempt.
Shortly after, the Cardinals capitalized. Quarterback Amir Jenkins (11 of 15 for 127 yards) found Daniel Owens in the end zone via a 16-yard touchdown pass, knotting the score at 7.
But Calvert Hall couldn’t sustain the momentum as Cavaliers junior Jordan Harris scored on a 2-yard run, making it 14-7 with1:19 left in the half. Harris finished the night with 19 yards on five runs.
The Cavaliers weren’t done. Wheatley demonstrated exactly why he’ll be playing defense at Penn State next year, springing up in the end zone for an interception to deny Jenkins a touchdown pass as the horn blew for intermission.
Though Spalding planned to force Calvert Hall to stick to the air, confident it could stop it on the ground, the Cavaliers defense struggled with missed tackles in the first half.
And yet, it was defense that could be thanked for locking down the final 24 minutes, and the win.
“The missed tackles are probably a product of 16 practices and early season,” Schmitt said. “But ultimately, we think we can win that way this year. We don’t have to win 45-42. We think we can win games 17-7.”
Just after Spalding padded the score with a field goal, the defense was tasked with corralling a Cardinals offense salivating at the chance to close the gap. Jenkins navigated his offense all the way to the 2-yard line, and it seemed like a score was
imminent.
That was until Kellan Wyatt attacked, blocking a field goal attempt that kept it a two-score game.
From then on, every defensive player for Spalding ruled the field. Twice in the final Cardinals’ drive, Cavaliers defenders, including junior Jalen Robertson, dragged Jenkins down in the backfield.
“I thought the special teams were pretty good other than the kickoff team, and the block. But we came up with a huge play on the block down here,” Schmitt said. “I think our [defense is] going to continue to play a little more savvy. I thought we got tired at times, but they’re a really talented unit.”
Spalding visits Loyola Blakefield next, but as these last few days have already shown, the team knows the ongoing pandemic has the potential to put a wrench in those plans. Still, Gutierrez says he and his teammates will do what they can to stay healthy — and stay ready.
“We really care about each other,” Gutierrez said. “We don’t want to let COVID ruin our season. ‘Cause that’s the only thing that can really stop us.”