After slow start, Cardinal Mooney picks up play to defeat Englewood Lemon Bay
Cardinal Mooney running back Bryce Williams knows he’ll face an overloaded defensive front as opponents focus on limiting his production.
That game plan didn’t impact the senior much Friday night as he rushed for two touchdowns to give the Cougars a 22-7 home win against Englewood Lemon Bay (1-1). Inclement weather forced the game to be delayed for nearly two hours in the first quarter.
“They give us a five-man front, eight-man box, and he’s still able to do what he does,” Cougars coach Drew Lascari said. “We’re really lucky he’s on Cardinal Mooney. He’s just special.”
Williams finished with 26 carries for 185 yards, his third consecutive game surpassing 100 yards on the ground this season for the Cougars (3-0). His performance came with University of Minnesota running backs coach Kenni Burns in attendance. Williams, rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports’ Composite Rating, committed to the Golden Gophers in June.
He wasn’t trying to do anything extra with his future coach watching.
“It’s a regular game, just show out like always,” Williams said. “(Burns’ being there) shows that he really cares. We get along. That’s why I picked Minnesota. He’s going to be my coach all four years. I have a really good relationship with him.”
The Cougars opened sloppily after not having played since Sept. 1, gaining just 33 yards in the first quarter before finishing with 306.
Lemon Bay opened the scoring with a 9-yard rushing touchdown by senior Thomas Chaney. Cardinal Mooney’s defense allowed the Manta Rays to extend the 10-minute, 6-second drive two times by committing a penalty when the Manta Rays faced fourth down.
But Williams evened the score at 7-7 midway through the second quarter with a 36-yard rushing touchdown. He reversed field multiple times and broke several tackles on the play.
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight,” said Williams, who also rushed for an 8-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to give the Cougars a 14-7 lead. “We just came to play. The conditions weren’t the best, but we came to play.”
The Cougars added a safety and a 10-yard receiving touchdown by senior Nick Maroon in the fourth quarter to build their final margin as they began to outplay the Manta Rays.
“Twenty-one days, I don’t want to use that as an excuse,” Lascari said. “I expect us to be more mature, to come out early and play fast and play hard and execute at a higher level. I thought there were times that we did that and there were times that we certainly didn’t. But we’re certainly going to watch the tape and get better.”
This story was originally published September 23, 2017 at 12:11 AM with the headline "After slow start, Cardinal Mooney picks up play to defeat Englewood Lemon Bay."