Cavs fall at Pleasant Grove
PLEASANT GROVE – John Carroll Catholic High School stood tall with Class 5A No. 7 Pleasant Grove for a half before eventually losing steam, falling 45-0 at Spartan Stadium.
The Cavaliers' (2-6, 0-5 Class 5A, Region 4) highlight of the night came on the first play of the contest when coach Logan Colafrancesco dialed up an onside kick that his unit successfully recovered. The momentum was short-lived, however, due to a John Carroll turnover three plays later. Despite the setback, the Cavs maintained their composure, forcing the dynamic Spartans offense into three consecutive first-half punts.
“We decided to play defense tonight and do what we are supposed to do,” Colafrancesco said. “We kept it simple. They are so explosive on offense – we knew we couldn’t contain them the whole time, but we did (in the first half) and we were only down two scores there early. I thought our kids fought hard, especially in the first half.”
The Spartans' (6-1, 5-0) big-strike ability was showcased throughout the evening, with all four first-half scoring drives covering four plays or less. Pleasant Grove quarterback Zyquez Perryman tossed three touchdown passes to Chris Lewis (52, 30 and 49 yards) and added a 28-yard rushing score. Cavaliers junior defensive back P.J. Hepburn was able to coax Perryman into a mistake, snagging an interception on the opening drive of the second half.
John Carroll struggled to find room to operate offensively and was limited to five total first downs, with four coming in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers edged across the century-mark in the final frame with 117 total yards, compared to 436 for the hosts. Jeremiah Gibbs led John Carroll offensively with 35 hard-fought yards on the ground.
“Defensively they are so good and locked us down by playing cover zero, and man, and we had a hard time getting off them,” Colafrancesco said.
After opening the season with two straight victories, the Cavs have now dropped six in a row.
John Carroll will look to get back in the win column with a home region contest against Wenonah.
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