Stone, Beamer Key In Win Over Carlisle

Sept. 20-The undefeated Bishop McDevitt Crusaders passed a tough road test tonight, beating a determined Carlisle Thundering Herd squad, 34-22, at Ken Millen Stadium. Despite an uncharacteristic slow start, the Crusaders posted 2 unanswered touchdowns to start the 2nd half to put the game out of reach and move their record to 4-0 overall, and 3-0 in the Mid Penn Commonwealth Division. Carlisle (3-1, 2-1) stacked the line of scrimmage on defense to stop McDevitt tailback Jesse Pitt, the midstate's leading rusher. To counter that strategy, the Crusaders relied on the strong arm of Quarterback Marcus Stone and the talents of Wide Receiver Vince Beamer. The two combined to put on a spectacular aerial show, with Stone completing 11 of 17 passes for 252 yards and 4 touchdowns. Beamer was on the receiving end of 8 of those tosses, totaling 224 yards and 4 scores. Pitt, held in check in the first half by the agressive Herd defense, still managed 156 yards and a TD, on 26 carries. Carlisle left no doubt about their determination, taking the opening kickoff and moving 72 yards in 6 plays to take a 6-0 lead, on a 3 yard run by Lesman Knight. The Crusaders answered quickly. After a 20 yard Lesean McCoy kickoff return to the McDevitt 39, Stone dropped back to pass and calmly hit Beamer in stride, 40 yards downfield, behind the stunned Carlisle secondary. After Beamer finished his stroll, Pedro Mora's PAT gave McDevitt a 7-6 lead that they would never relinquish. Carlisle's next drive was stopped by Mike Dawson's third down sack at the McDevitt 38. The Crusaders gained possession after a Carlisle punt rolled dead at the 7. A17 yard Pitt dash got the ball rolling, then 3 Stone-Beamer connections moved McDevitt to the Carlisle 15 as the first quarter ended.

Stone and Beamer opened the second quarter with a perfect 15 yard pitch-and catch in the corner of the end zone to stretch the McD lead to 14-6. The rest of the half featured a tightened McDevitt defense, led by Dawson , Beamer and Josh Martinko, stalling the Herd's power running game. The Crusader offense faltered, with 3 McDevitt possessions ending with 2 punts and a Stone fumble. Despite over 200 yards total offense, McDevitt settled for a 14-6 halftime lead.

Coach Jeff Weachter's halftime adjustments were evident as the Crusader running game came to life in the second half. Starting at their own 37, Pitt carried 6 straight times, moving the ball to the Carlisle 15. Again, it was Stone to Beamer for the score, this time on a perfectly thrown floater just in bounds to make the score 20-6. The defense held for the 4th straight time, and, after a 29 yard Thomas Dunn punt return, the Crusaders were back in business at the Carlisle 49. 2 plays later, Stone threw his most impressive pass of the night, a 32 yard screamer that found Beamer between 2 defenders at the 6 yard line. After a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved the ball back to the 21, Pitt streaked through a gaping hole to find paydirt and establish a 26-6 lead.

Carlisle found success through the air on their next possession, as Herd Quarterback Aaron Bouder hooked up with End Richard Rayborn 3 times in Carlisle's impressive 8 play, 69 yard scoring drive. After rugged Fullback Luke McKenzie's 7 yard touchdown run and a 2 point conversion, Carlisle narrowed the lead to 26-14. The 4th quarter opened with McDevitt heading for their final score of the evening. Mixing runs by Pitt and Stone (who had 42 rushing yards on 7 carries), the Crusaders were faced with a fourth-and-eight at the Carlisle 19. Everyone in the stadium was expecting the pass to Beamer, so Stone drilled the ball above the Carlisle defenders waiting in the end zone. Beamer timed his jump perfectly, hauling in his 4th touchdown pass to the roar of the delighted McDevitt crowd. Pitt strolled over the goal line behind Center Josh Stefanic's crushing block for the conversion, and the lead ballooned to 32-14. This time Carlisle's passing game was stopped by a tough pass rush and tight secondary coverage. When McDevitt took over on downs at their own 39, mop-up time had begun .  During the drive to the Herd 17 yard line, first Pitt, then Beamer and Stone left to standing ovations. When the Crusaders fumbled to end the drive, the field was flooded with clean white shirts, as Weachter emptied his bench. Carlisle Head Coach Brent Stroh decided to keep his starters in, and the meaningless final score and conversion made the final 34-22. McDevitt's next game is Saturday, September 28th, against the Red Land Patriots. Kickoff at McDevitt Field is 10:30 AM.

Quotes

Head Coach Jeff Weachter

"We knew they were going to be tough. We practiced all week for a 50 defense and they came out and played a 4-4. They were diving at our legs, their defensive linemen diving at our fullback, which is illegal, but we weren't getting the calls. We knew they were going to play a 9 man front so we planned on throwing the ball. That's one of the things people don't realize, if you're going to try to take the run away, we're going to throw the football at you. Marcus did a great job, Vince, Mike Gholston. We still need to get Tommy Dunn and Justin Taylor a little more involved in the pass offense. We went in at halftime and made some adjustments with our offensive line, and that's why we could run the ball a little bit better in the second half. We knew we could throw any time. I was disappointed with our defensive ends in the first half. To stop the veer, that dive back, they have to pinch down. We practiced that all week, but, for some reason, they were coming up field! So, after a little tongue lashing at halftime, they did a better job. The kids really came back but it's tough. We've had 3 emotional wins. We talked about it, we didn't take them lightly. We had a great week of practice but emotionally, especially on defense, we weren't there tonight. Red Land will be tough. They have a good Quarterback , a good Fullback and they beat us last year. We have to get better in the pass defense."

Assistant Coach Shawn Lee

" They came out with a good game plan, they made some good blocks. The veer they were running, between the guard-tackle gap rather than outside tackle, we had to make that adjustment. Their running backs ran hard so it was a tough win for us. We've been saying all week that it would be a tough game for us. Carlisle plays with a lot of pride, they were playing at home and it would have been a great win for them. "

Assistant Coach Dave Weachter

" We knew with their lack of size up front that they were going to do some things, that they were going to dive at our linemen to try to stop us from getting any kind of holes. The problem with doing that is, what are you going to do with Vince Beamer? To do that, to stop Jesse, you have to put 9 in the box and what are you going to do with Vince and Marcus? It puts a real problem on the other team. I don't think we were overconfident tonight, I think it was an understandable letdown from last week. Red Land is a good team. They beat us last year; they have a big time Quarterback, a big time Fullback and some nice kids. We'll have our hands full. "

DT Uriah Aviles

" Halftime was a little hectic. We were winning but we weren't happy. The coaches told us that we just had to get it done. Carlisle's offensive line was very small but they were good, better than I thought they'd be. "

OL Quincy Garfield

" I'm really excited that we won, but we need some more practice because we didn't play together as a team today. We picked it up after halftime. Coach gave us some new strategies, and we picked up the blitz better."

WR/S Vince Beamer

"I never really had 4 touchdowns in a game before. Our running game wasn't working so well today, so we knew that, with the way they play their corners and their defense, we could pass the ball on them, so Marcus just opened up. When they had double coverage and Marcus just put the ball on the money, well, Marcus has a heck of an arm. I remember that pass the most."

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