Malden Catholic 28, CM 26

In their first home game since September 25th, the Knights faced off against the Malden Catholic Lancers in their first Catholic Conference game of the season.

The Knights second drive of the game was highlighted by a Lorenzo Warren 54 yard run, and a 37 yard pass from AJ Doyle to Cam Williams. CM would miss a field goal to end the drive after three runs which were unsuccessful. The very next play Cam Williams recovered an MC fumble to give the Knights the ball back in prime scoring position. Doyle hit receiver Joey McCarthy deep in the red zone on a fourth down to continue the drive.

The first quarter ended with the Knights on the 2 yard line, and Doyle would run it in himself to start the second quarter. MC's rushing attack was sensational, their first drive in the second quarter started at the 20 yard line and took them all the way through the end zone. Once CM got the ball back they took a lot of time off the clock before drilling a field goal with 1:04 seconds left in the first half. It looked as if CM was going to be able to head to the locker room with a lead before MC's Quinn McDonough returned the following kickoff for a touchdown to give the Lancers a 14-10 lead heading into the halftime.

The third quarter was rough for the Knights as their offense was completely stalled, it looked as if the communication between Doyle and his receivers was off. It didn't help the Knights that McDonough would return an interception for a touchdown to give his Lancers a 20-10 lead. Another interception with 0:49 left in the third enabled the Lancers to start the fourth in great position to put the game away. They would once again break into the end zone with 8:56 left in the game, after a successful two point conversion the Lancers held a comfortable 28-10 lead.

CM never stopped playing, and as a result, they would put themselves back in the game. Doyle hit running back Lorenzo Warren in the end zone with 6:09 left, after a converted two point conversion the score was 28-18. The CM defense came up with a stop and the offense took advantage of their opportunity. In two consecutive plays Doyle connected with Donald Bland for a 40 yard play, and Joey McCarthy on a 39 yard missile to put the ball on the seven yard line. Donovan Henry punched it into the end zone to make the score 24-28. The Knights' two-point conversion featured a fantastic run from Warren putting CM down two after being down by eighteen just seven minutes earlier. The defense once again came up big and stopped the Lancers with 0:52 left in the game.

CM would then go four and out and in the process drop their second straight game.

It is important to note that the Knights were ridden by injuries Friday night. In addition to the already injured Armani Reeves, wide receiver Cam Williams and defensive back Keshaudus Spence both left the game with shoulder injuries in the first half. In the second half seniors Mark Glynn and Richard Errico also suffered injuries which would keep them sidelined for the remainder of the game. Not having Spence in the middle definitely hurt the Knights dearly. The Lancers' running game would have been as dominant as it was if Spence was there to hit anything and everything wearing a white jersey.

One piece of good news concerning the Knights' injuries is that junior captain John Gorman debuted in his first game of the season. A back injury had kept Gorman off the field since the end of August.

This game puts CM in an undesirable position concerning the playoff picture. In a ten-game season, two losses is a lot. Every game from here on out is an absolute must win for the Knights. One more loss and CM's playoff hopes are dead. They have a tall task in front them, the next few games are all against good teams and each game is probably going to be a dogfight. Next week the Knights will host the St. John's Prep Eagles and try to keep their postseason dreams alive.

Mike Slonina '11