Running Wildcats snag Sage

Bryce Alderton

Sage Hill School football coach Tom Monarch’s worst fears about

visiting Villanova Prep came to life Friday afternoon, often in the

blink of an eye.

The Wildcats, who rely primarily on their running game, covered

just about all parcels of real estate on the hosts’ field, racking up

a hefty 357 rushing yards en route to a 21-7 nonleague victory over

the Lightning, their second straight victory to open their first

season playing 11-man football.

Sage Hill (1-1) held an 11-minute, 20-second edge in time of

possession, but the Wildcats (2-0), who scored 21 unanswered points,

made quick and productive work when they had the ball while muffling

the hosts’ offensive pursuits.

Villanova Prep’s three scoring drives spanned five, four and two

plays, respectively, displaying the offensive outbursts

characteristic of Sage’s 42-14 victory over Midway Baptist Sept. 10.

Before the game, Monarch worried about stopping Villanova Prep’s

junior tailback Sean Forster, who amassed 111 rushing yards on 13

carries with a touchdown against Sage. But Monarch gained added

appreciation for the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Forster’s abilities as a

linebacker, and the rest of a Wildcats’ defense that held the

Lightning to 201 yards of total offense.

“Their linebackers were all over the field,” Monarch said.

“[Forster] is a buzz saw and when you hit a buzz saw like that ...

[the Wildcats] are lucky to have him.”

Sage junior tailback Keya Manshadi carried 18 times for 75 yards

with one touchdown while sophomore fullback Don Ayres gained 56 yards

on 11 carries against a Wildcat defense that often hit Lightning

ballcarriers at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Sage freshman quarterback Jamie McGee started a second straight

week and completed six of 12 passes for 62 yards and no interceptions

despite facing several blitzes.

McGee led the Lightning on a 10-play, 66-yard drive, capped by

Manshadi’s 3-yard touchdown run, on the game’s opening drive, giving

the hosts a 7-0 lead. A 21-yard jaunt by Ayres and a 25-yard scamper

by Manshadi set up the score.

But Villanova Prep countered on its next possession with a

four-play, 67-yard drive sealed by Nick Scolari’s 49-yard touchdown

burst up the middle. The Lightning still led, 7-6, though, after a

missed extra-point attempt.

Villanova Prep took the lead for good in the second quarter

following five-play, 53-yard drive that ended with Forster’s 2-yard

touchdown. Forster then ran into the end zone for the two-point

conversion that gave the Wildcats a 14-7 lead.

The visitors took a 21-7 edge two plays into the third quarter

when quarterback Adrian Gutierrez faked a handoff to the tailback and

ran off left tackle for a 75-yard touchdown.

The Lightning punted on three of the four possessions following

their opening drive, but looked as if they would cut into the

14-point deficit with the first possession of the third quarter.

McGee led the Lightning 78 yards to a first-and-goal on the

Wildcats’ 7-yard line, but would get no further following four

straight running plays -- capping an 18-play march that took up the

final 11:02 of the third quarter and a play into the fourth -- and a

turnover on downs.

“If [the Lightning] score that series down, it’s a whole different

game,” Villanova Prep Coach John Muller said. “We’ve worked [on

goal-line defense] and caught [the Lightning] off guard.”

Monarch was disappointed in coming away empty handed on the

aforementioned drive, but was more disturbed by Sage’s four

penalties, one a holding call that negated a first down run by Braden

Ross, who finished with three catches for 41 yards to lead Lightning

receivers.

“I think we made some mental errors, but that stuff can be

corrected,” Monarch said. “[The Wildcats] played a better football

game with fewer mistakes. They outhit us.”

The Wildcats averaged nearly 10 yards per carry.