Rick Keeley-Berks Catholic

Berks Catholic knew what was coming, but the Saints couldn’t stop it. Cocalico fullback Sam Steffey got a whopping 42 carries in a 31-10 victory over the Saints. The 5’9, 185-pound junior rumbled for 234 yards and three touchdowns. “I don’t think I’ve been this tired playing football in my life,” said Steffey with a smile. He’s up to 1,034 rushing yards this season. The (5-4, 4-2) Eagles only average five pass attempts per game. When you execute the Flexbone offense as well as they do, there’s no need to throw the football. Sophomore quarterback Josh Myer was just 1-of-3 for six yards and an interception, yet Cocalico came out on top. The Eagles piled up 309 yards on the ground. Their first possession took 14 plays and nearly eight minutes off the clock. Steffey’s 1-yard plunge ended a 71-yard drive. Cocalico’s next series took 13 plays and resulted in a 25-yard field goal by sophomore Talen Popolis. “They’re disciplined. They ran that offense pretty much to perfection. We struggled to stop it,” lamented Berks Catholic head coach Rick Keeley. The Eagles outscored the (3-6, 3-3) Saints 21-0 in the second half. Steffey’s 30th carry of the night was a 9-yard score with 2:12 remaining in the third period. After forcing a three-and-out, Cocalico ran more than five minutes off the clock. Steffey capped that 60-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown which gave the Eagles a 24-10 advantage. On the ensuing possession, William Hess was sacked and fumbled on fourth down. Cocalico took over at Berks Catholic’s 24-yard-line midway through the final quarter. Backup fullback Owen Weaver, a 210-pound junior, powered his way into the end zone from 1-yard out with 1:17 left. “We couldn’t get the ball back…They controlled the line of scrimmage and they didn’t fumble,” stated Keeley. Steffey takes pride in the Eagles’ physical style of play. “They know what we’re doing, we just give it to them. A lot of teams try to trick them, but we just go straight at them and show how tough we are,” he replied. Steffey broke off a 50-yard run in the second quarter. He had 119 yards at the break. “[He’s] very durable. He must spend a lot of time in the weight room to take that team and carry them on his back. His linemen were moving us off the ball. My hat’s off to them,” acknowledged Keeley. JayJay Jordan was a bright spot for the Saints on senior night. The 170-pound running back had a team-high 73 yards on 13 carries. His 23-yard touchdown knotted things up at 7-7 with 32 seconds to go in the opening quarter. Jordan started to the right and then cut back to the middle. The cornerback also came up with an interception and returned it 25 yards to Cocalico’s 40-yard line with one minute remaining in the first half. “JayJay always gives a great effort. I have nothing but good things to say about him. I wish this team could’ve got more wins for him,” said Keeley. After a pretty 23-yard pass down the left sideline from Hess to Jaxon Geddio, Andrew Kurtas drilled a 22-yard field goal to even the score with 15 seconds left. However, the second half belonged to the Eagles. They were looking for revenge after losing to Berks Catholic 21-7 in the District 3 quarterfinals a season ago. Cocalico allowed just 129 total yards this time around. Saints’ fullbacks Devin Garcia and Nafis Blythe were held to 35 yards on eight combined touches. The Saints managed just 25 yards in the second half. “I didn’t see any quit out there. I thought our kids played to the end and that’s all you can ask for. Sometimes the other team is just better,” noted Keeley.