By Skip Weaver
Contributing Writer
MIDDLETOWN – It was a typical grind-it-out, hard-fought game Thursday night as Fenwick hosted state-ranked Alter at Krusling Field.
Running the ball was the order of the day as both teams combined for only 13 pass attempts. When it was all said and done, the Knights had run the ball better and came away with a 21-0 win over the Falcons.
“It’s a tough loss,” first-year Fenwick coach Joe Snively said as his squad fell to 5-4 overall and watched its playoff hopes fade away. “They are really good. My hat’s off to them. I wish them well and I know they will represent our league well in the playoffs.”
Both teams simply traded possessions for much of the first half, but with 59 seconds remaining before the break, Alter junior running back Nick Coleman finally broke the big play. He went 55 yards down the right sideline – breaking several tackles along the way – reaching the end zone for the first points of the game.
The Falcons got the ball back and three plays into their drive Jordan George intercepted a pass that gave the Knights another chance to score before halftime. The Falcons defense rose to the occasion, however, and got a turnover of their own when Bill Hinton intercepted a Dusty Hayes pass, but time expired before Hinton could get out of bounds.
Alter then opened the second half with a long, methodical drive that ate nearly six minutes off the clock and resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by Hayes.
On the Knights’ next possession, Hayes began the drive with a 58-yard run to Fenwick’s 18-yard line. Three plays later, Coleman raced in from 10 yards out to pad Alter’s lead to 21-0.
Coleman finished the game with 163 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while Hayes added 82 yards rushing and a score.
“That was just two teams getting after it,” Alter coach Ed Domsitz said, as his team improves to 8-1 overall and 6-0 in the Greater Catholic League. “We knew it would be close. They were playing for their playoff lives and it was that kind of a game.
“Our defense was faced some challenges because the Wing-T puts pressure on you with all the misdirection,” he continued. “We knew (Frank) Catrine would be a handful. He’s pretty good. The only guy that may be better is (Vayante’) Copeland from Thurgood Marshall, but you have to play against a player like that if you want to go anywhere in the playoffs and we did well against him.”
Catrine was held to just 79 total yards by the Knights. Nick Fedders rushed for 24 yards and completed 3-of-10 passes for 22 yards.
“Our defense fought hard, but they just wore us down,” Snively said. “We were not intimidated by the Alter mystique. We fought hard and that is all I can ask. We didn’t give them anything easy, but they just did what they do.
“I’m proud of our guys,” he continued. “They never quit.”
Fenwick will go for a winning season next week when they host Carroll on Nov. 1.
Click on Falcons fall to state-ranked Knights to saee more discussion.
