St. Ed’s football team overcame a 19 point deficit before falling to Village Academy of Delray Beach by a final score of 41-22 in their opener on a damp night last Friday. The defeat dropped the Pirates to 0-2.
The visiting Tigers jumped out to a 22-3 advantage before QB CJ Hadnot connected with Danny Walsh on a 55 yard pass play to make it 22-9. St. Ed’s opened the second half with a successful on-side kick and baffled the visitors throughout the third period with a no-huddle, up tempo mixture of runs and passes from a spread formation. Walsh capped a 10 play, 55 yard drive by slicing in from the one to narrow the margin to 22-15.
Mason Heim recovered a fumble deep in VA territory early in the fourth period to set up a Walsh score from the five. Suddenly it was tied at 22-22, but the rest of the way was all downhill. The Tigers scored three times in the final nine minutes.
Brian Minella sparked the midgame surge with a diving interception and several nice runs. Brian Carter had several outstanding plays on defense. Turnovers were costly however, in particular two picks that were returned for touchdowns.
Looking ahead, three of the six games remaining on the schedule are against teams in the Coral Gulf Atlantic Division of the Sunshine State Athletic Conference. The Pirates captured the SSAC championship back in 2010 and rejoined the conference for another try this year after experimenting as an independent and a member of a FHSAA district.
That SSAC championship season was Motta’s first as Head Coach. In five seasons his teams have posted a 29-21 record. The return to the SSAC was based mainly on a search for competitive equilibrium.
“Overall we are excited,” Motta said about the change. “My experience with the SSAC before was really very good. We were fortunate to win the whole thing, but the teams we were up against played really well, they were well coached, and they were programs that share the same goals as we do.
“It’s not a weaker conference and it’s probably more balanced than FHSAA Class 2A. We had a seven team division but three teams dropped out so we have only three conference games. The SSAC still has 30 schools overall. You are not going to have your top or bottom end guys. Everybody is going to be in it, playing to win, and playing good football.”
The SSAC championship will be determined over a three week period starting October 30.
After a 27-0 whitewash of Merritt Island Christian in the Preseason Classic, the Pirates got a taste of what SSAC play will be like in 2015. Well, sort of. Community School of Naples was one of those teams that dropped out of the SSAC. They nevertheless remained on the schedule and came from behind to squeak past St. Ed’s 31-28 in Naples to start the regular season.
The Pirates have established a formidable ground game featuring running backs Brian Minella, Danny Walsh, Willie Mosley, Dalton Stolze and Desmond Haigler. Clearing the way up front are center Mason Heim, guards Scott Simpson and Patrick Quaile, and tackles Payton Cleveland and Jackson Rooney.
D1 recruit Brian Carter starts at tight end and defensive end and is capable of making huge contributions from each slot.
“Obviously Brian Carter is head and shoulders above everybody else as an athlete and a recruit,” Motta said. “All of his accolades are justified. He’s a physical player with great get off. And he’s playing that way on both sides of the ball, so we’re expecting a lot from him.
“He’s really stepped up in a leadership role and I was hoping for that to happen. He’s not a verbal guy, instead he leads by example.”
Motta was asked about other players that stand out in his estimation, and he named just about the entire squad. That speaks to his admiration of players and their investment in the program as individuals and teammates. You hear the term investment time and again. Motta has immense appreciation for those who stick it out through a long, hot spring and summer.
Take for example what Motta says about Mason Heim: “He’s consistent across the board as a leader and player. He’s our center, long snapper, and can play every position on the offensive and defensive lines. He is always investing and you never have to single him out for not working hard. He always gives great effort.”
The game plan on defense relies on four and five man pressures off different looks to keep the opponent off balance. The offense is strictly in the creative hands of Assistant Coach Lou Ferrari. Motta said, “Lou does a really good job of bringing in new twists and expanding the offense.
“We have weapons to spread it out and speed up the tempo, but cranking up a play every 15 seconds is good when you get a different defense to come in if you go three-and-out. I would say that probably nine of the 11 positions have two-way players, so there are a lot of intangibles that we have to consider, including the endurance of our players.
“But I believe, and so does Lou, in controlling the line of scrimmage and establishing a running game to open up the pass.” Accordingly, Motta would like QB CJ Hadnot to be a game manager, call plays, evoke confidence in the huddle, connect on a few short passes, and operate within his skill set.