On Friday, Donahue Catholic faced Merritt Island Christian in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Donahue Catholic Shamrocks took a 34-29 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Merritt Island Christian Cougars. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Shamrocks, who until this match were averaging 15 points allowed.
When it comes to explaining why Donahue Catholic lost, don't look at Leo Cantwell. Despite the final result, he rushed for 185 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 59 receiving yards and a touchdown. Cantwell didn't just play on offense: he also picked up a sack and made four total tackles. Another player making a difference was Luke Misek, who rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown on only five carries.
Even if they lost, Donahue Catholic's defensive line still kept up the pressure with five sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Isaiah Loboda and Athy Niewald who racked up four sacks between them. Loboda is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last eight games he's played dating back to last season.
Even though they lost, Donahue Catholic was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 469 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Merritt Island Christian only rushed for 203.
Bode Handwork continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines for Merritt Island Christian, throwing for 256 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 10.7 yards per attempt. Trey Nevad was Handwork's top target, picking up 132 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Donahue Catholic's defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 3-1. As for Merritt Island Christian, the victory for them keeps them at an undefeated 5-0.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Donahue Catholic's homestand will continue as they prepare to take on Babcock at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Babcock is coming into the contest with four straight wins on the road, so Donahue Catholic will have to stop a team with plenty of momentum. As for Merritt Island Christian, they will welcome Four Corners at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few points on average, (Merritt Island Christian: 17, Four Corners: 17.6) so any points scored will be well earned.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
