By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor La Salle’s Russell Gordon and his talented and dedicated coaching staff walked off the field Friday night with disappointment written on their faces after a 20-10 loss to visiting Arcadia. There was, though, no lack of preparation or effort. They weren’t controlled by Arcadia. In fact, for most of the […]
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor
La Salle’s Russell Gordon and his talented and dedicated coaching staff walked off the field Friday night with disappointment written on their faces after a 20-10 loss to visiting Arcadia.
There was, though, no lack of preparation or effort.
They weren’t controlled by Arcadia.
In fact, for most of the game, the Lancers defense bent but didn’t break.
La Salle took a 3-0 lead less than five minutes into the game, and held it until 25 seconds remained in the first half..
There were dejected looks on some of the faces of this very young team, because they had shut down Max Davila and the Apaches offense almost the entire half, and yet trailed 7-3 as they took the slow walk back to their locker room to regroup.
And regroup they did.
On the first play of the second half, Jacob McDonough muffed the kickoff for a second, and many were thinking, “oh, no, here we go.”
But give McDonough credit, the senior collected his composure, and calmly picked the ball off the turf and ran it back 90 yards for not only a touchdown, but it also gave the Lancers a 10-7 lead.
Yes, it’s true, the offense and both of their young quarterbacks struggled to get things going.
They accounted for just 99 yards on the game, and they weren’t able to get into the end zone.
There was no question that one play turned the game and momentum in a 180 degree direction.
La Salle was driving with that same 10-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, and were about 20 yards from making it a two-score game.
Rolandiss Whitener, however, turned the game in an instant when he picked off freshman quarterback CJ Montes and brought it back for an 88-yard Pick-6.
The offense couldn’t get going after the crushing turnover and the Lancers fell short.
And while neither Chris Wilson or CJ Montes racked up any big plays, they both showed glimpses of why their coaches and teammates believe in them.
It would be a huge mistake for anyone to think these two quarterbacks cost them the game.
And what fans need to accept is that both Wilson and Montes had zero (real) experience at the varsity level.
It’s also important to state the fact that last year’s loss of 22 seniors was big.
Not only did they play huge roles, those seniors accounted for ALL 42 touchdowns last year, so there is obviously going to be a learning curve that La Salle will have to weather.
Wilson looks the part physically and had a nice run early in the game when no one was open down field.
Montes is a very young freshman and has a lot of (physical) growing to do, and when he does, over the next three-plus years, there is a very likely chance Montes will be that star quarterback that everyone raves about.
So, when asked about the play of his two quarterbacks and knowing the Pick-6 was critical, Russell Gordon was given a chance in an interview to show frustration.
That, though, isn’t Gordon’s style.
He calmly said “both guys played well and had some good and bad things happen.”
When asked about what happened on the interception, instead of placing any blame on his freshman, Gordon said, “It was just an over-throw, and that happens at every level,”
It might not seem like 12 words after a loss could be that profound or create a stabilizing effect, but when Montes reads or hears about it, he’ll know his coach still has 100 percent confidence in him.
In no way are we insinuating that Montes doesn’t have confidence.
But getting the unconditional support after a devastating play from a respected and successful coach can only help take that sour taste he must have had.
The La Salle defense, as said earlier, bent at times but didn’t break for much of the game.
The most impressive takeaway for this writer is that one game into the 2017 season, this group of rookies played an extremely disciplined game just one year after last La Salle was plagued with far too many preventable personal fouls.
In this game alone, they cut penalties by at least two-thirds from last year, and did it in their first outing.
La Salle didn’t run their mouth, they didn’t take any cheap shots or late hits.
And a lot of credit lies with the players, but the 24/7 focus on not hurting themselves with undisciplined penalties is also a huge feather in the cap for Gordon and his staff.
They did make a couple mistakes, but they were not for a lack of discipline.
The only real heartbreaking setback was late in the fourth quarter and trailing 14-10, the Lancers defense held and Arcadia was set to attempt a 39-yard field goal.
Had Randy Ludwig converted on that field goal, the worst case scenario would have left La Salle within striking distance (7 point deficit) and certainly enough time to muster a game-tying drive.
But as Arcadia lined up to attempt the field goal on 4th-and-7, a Lancers player just off sides.
Arcadia took the five-yard penalty, and then replaced its special team players with their offense to attempt a conversion on a 4th-and-2 play.
The Apaches’ gamble paid off.
Max Davila hit Jake Medders on a 5-yard score, and that was all she wrote.
Let’s get back to the positive.
Aside from the glimpses of potential in the very near future, there is one other reason why La Salle will go into every Friday night knowing that they might not win every game, but they’ll certainly be in every game.
And what more could a coach ask for than sticking around late and having chances in every game, especially a team that has a roster loaded with inexperienced players?
The reason they have the potential to be in every game is simple, and that’s because the players know their coaches are going to prepare a detailed game plan, and just as important, these coaches treat each week like it was their 40-hour a week job to give La Salle the blueprint for success.
I was on campus on Wednesday to do interviews with their coaches and players. and after they had already spent two and a half hours on the practice field, the coaching staff huddled in Gordon’s office and went over all the intricate details well into the night.
This is their passion.
La Salle should be disappointed, because no real athlete or competitor will ever be satisfied in a loss, but they should also have the confidence to know they are capable of big things when they’re able to execute their game plan.
The other notable thing to consider for anyone who might have shed some optimism is that this is just one game, a contest that many players saw significant game time for the first time.
They will get better over time, and as everyone knows, this is all about getting La Salle ready for Angelus League play.
These preseason games do not, for the most part, affect a playoff berth, it is victories in league that earn postseason bids.
The Lancers will travel to Monrovia Friday night.
