LANDON FOOTBALL 44 O’CONNELL 10

For the last game of their pre-IAC, the Bears traveled to Arlington, VA to play the WCAC Knights of Bishop J. O’Connell (BJO) in their nice stadium with cheerleaders and a pep band.  As with all of Landon’s opponents, the home team had significant size advantage.

If you believe that the transitive principle of mathematics applies to comparative football scores (the Las Vegas oddsmakers do not), the Bears  margin of victory (+33)has good and bad prognosticator results: GOOD-StA was only +10 and BAD-Bullis +31. The team’s 1^st league game (10/9 3:30pm vs. GP [2-2{both losses v. their former league}] with a 2 week gap before coming to the White Rocks. The not-so-Little Hoyas have 13 players tipping the scale at 200#s or more and 3 over #250.

The Knights won the toss and deferred. The Lightning Landon offense struck down the field—80 yards in 4 plays, 3 passes (20, 34 and16 yards), 1 run (9 yards)—Messrs.  SEAN MURRAY (3 passes), MACK ”YAC” COHEN (1 run),CADEN SOUTHWORTH (1 catch) YUBIE “GONE” ZAID (2 catches including the TD pass). PAT good BEARS 7 KNIGHTS 0 @10:03 of Q1

BJO’s play was a hook and ladder pass that gained 48 yards. That strike’s field position was lost to 2 Knight fumbles which moved the ball back to Landon’s 14 on 4^th down. The home kicker easily made the field goal (he was splitting the uprights from the 50 in warm ups. At 7: 47 Q1  BEARS 7 KNIGHTS 3

On its next O iteration, Landon was not as efficient as before. The Bear D on their 2^nd try bottled up BJO and forced them to punt. This time Sean and his teammates were clicking. A pass to CADEN and the QB’s run ate 47 yards in 38 seconds @1:40 of Q1 BEARS 14 KNIGHTS 3. BJO retained the ball for the remainder of Q1 into Q3, then a failed 4^th down returned the ball to their guests. Landon took advantage of this turnover and once again “matriculated” down the field for their 3^rd TD. GONE (15 yds)and YAC (7 yards)runs were crowned with a SEAN to GONE 43 yd TD pass @8:18, PAT good = BEARS 21 KNIGHTS 3

BJO fought back, 65 yards in 12 plays at 2:53 LANDON 21 KNIGHTS 10- the last points for the home team.

Landon tested its 2:53 minute offense. Helped by two BJO penalties, powered by 2 runs, 3 passes (one tipped in flight and caught by a lineman for a 1^st down) and completed by a SEAN TO UBIE 27 yard TD @ 0:09 PAT GOOD BEARS 28 KNIGHTS 10.

The home team added to their misery by snapping the ball over their QB and earning Landon a 2 point SAFETY @ 0:08

HALFTIME BEARS 30 KNIGHTS 10

Having received the 2md half kickoff, Bears D forced Knights into  three-and-out. The visitors O faced with a 4^th and 3 at the BJO 42 sent out their punt team. The snap went to MATT ROSNER, an upback in the formation, and he rolled to his left, but his receivers were covered, so the Sophomore QB rolled to his right with many defenders pursuing him. He found RILEY LUGAR in the flat and a 13 yard pass completion extended possession. Three runs and another Knight penalty set the ball 13 yards from the goal line, SEAN to LOGAN CASSIDY completion = Landon’ 5^th TD @ 7:15 OF q4 BEARS 37 KNIGHTS 10

The last quarter saw the Bears hold the ball for 5 minutes while gaining 53 yards. A 23 yard FG missed.

This advantage allowed the Landon coaches to test some of their players. Here’s a list of numbers recorded (in no particular orders and #s instead of names because players have been added to the roster without identification:

D: 44,41,62, 6,25, 67,54, 75, 9,26,63,60,17,40 and 14

O:32,25, 73,24,50,30,66,60,44, 14,12, 74, 16, 63, 26 and 75

THERE LIKELY WERE OTHERS

These clean-jerseyed Bears defenders forced another 3-and-out, Runs by DOMINIC JENKINS (1 carry 10 Yards], GRADY BURNQUIST (3 carries,3 yards) and ROBERT SWIFT (2 carries, 14 yards and the TD @2:11) PAT GOOD. The Knights were unable to move the ball in the last 131.

FINAL SCORE–BEARS 44 KNIGHT 10

BEAT THE little HOYAS

Chiefs football coach Hank Stram, for reasons not fully known, used the word in highly figurative manner, and “matriculate the ball down the field” has stuck ever since. Super Bowl 4