Red Lion Christian Academy (Bear, Del.) wasted no time in its quest to become a national powerhouse as the Lions pounced on three-time defending Ohio state champ Youngstown Ursuline, 54-18, in the Bear private school's opening game Friday night at Youngstown State University.
"I didn't expect the score to be that lopsided," first-year Red Lion coach Dwayne Thomas said. "We knew they were a great team but I felt like if we played hard, good things would happen."
In a game that looked on the scoreboard like an offensive exhibition, it was actually the Red Lion defense forcing four Ursuline turnovers and blocking two punts that sparked the Lions.
Freshman David Sills threw for four
touchdowns on Friday night.
File photo by Bill Berg
Ursuline flexed its muscles early, scoring on an 80-yard halfback pass on its first play from scrimmage to take a 6-0 lead. But the visitors didn't panic, taking advantage of its defense's efforts to outscore the Irish 21-0 the rest of the first quarter and then building a 41-18 halftime lead.
"I felt like we came into the game very prepared," said highly-touted freshman quarterback
David Sills V, who was offered and committed to Southern California as a seventh-grader. "We stuck together through the early adversity to win the game."
Sills completed 17 of 21 passes for 221 yards, connecting on four touchdown passes to three different receivers. Junior running back
Wendell Smallwood ran for a game-high 177 yards and four touchdowns.
"The young men were up for the challenge," Thomas added.
In addition to a road game in Florida against University High School (Nov. 11), Red Lion will return to Ohio twice this season for games against
Cardinal Mooney-Youngstown (Sept. 21) and
Washington-Massillon (Oct. 7). The Lions' first home game is Oct. 1 at Delaware Stadium against national power
Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.).
"We intentionally put together a tough schedule hoping that our kids can get recruited," Thomas said. "If we are playing against other potential Div. I opponents our kids will get looks, too."
Jon Buzby is the sports columnist for the Newark Post, a freelance writer, and on the broadcast team for the 1290AM The Ticket High School Football and Basketball Games of the Week. You can reach him at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.
