That’s all good news for the Rams. But the stretch drive — a trip to Fairmont to play Alter on Friday, followed by home games against Chaminade Julienne and McNicholas — could be bumpy.
WEEK 7 FOOTBALL COVERAGE
“All of our goals are still there,” Badin coach Nick Yordy said. “But those next three are going to be tough ones. We’re going to see how good we are.”
The Rams were pretty good against Purcell, grabbing a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and limiting the Cavaliers to 19 rushing yards.
It may not have been high-excitement football, but Badin controlled the line of scrimmage, ran the ball effectively and kept Purcell off the scoreboard until the final 85 seconds.
“It was awesome,” said senior halfback/cornerback Davon Starks, who scored all three of the Rams’ touchdowns and ran 24 times for 157 yards. “Everybody was kind of feeling it in the locker room before the game. Everybody was hyped up, excited, so we told everybody, ‘Let’s go out and have fun.’ ”
Badin improved its record to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the GCLC Central. Purcell is 4-3, 1-3, and tied with Roger Bacon for second place in the division.
Cavaliers coach Dave Wirth thought his defensive crew turned in a valiant effort against the Rams. He wasn’t as pleased with the offense.
“We were absolutely atrocious on offense,” Wirth said. “It was a pretty pathetic display by us tonight and that’s on me, so I’ve got to figure out a way to fix it.
“Badin made a few tweaks and took a few things away from us that we typically do well. I just think they won the line of scrimmage defensively. They dominated us up front and kind of put us in a tailspin, and we never really recovered from it. I think our kids always play hard, but they don’t always play well. Our offense really put our defense in a bad position tonight.”
Purcell didn’t get a first down until its fourth possession. By that time, the Cavaliers were already down 10-0, thanks to a 24-yard touchdown run by Starks and a 30-yard field goal by Luke VanSteenkiste.
Starks added 44- and 5-yard scoring runs in the third period. He’s got 720 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground in 2018.
“The line did a great job blocking,” said Starks, who credited backfield mate Alex DeLong for “destroying people” on the outside. “They were busting their butts to get to where they needed to be to open up holes so I could do my job.”
DeLong also gained 113 yards on 15 rushes as the Rams, true to form, ran the ball most of the night. Quarterback Zach Switzer was 2-of-7 for 37 yards.
“We got off to a good start, which is what we wanted to do,” Yordy said. “There were a couple missed opportunities in the first half that we should’ve capitalized on. But we were in the ballgame, we were getting first downs, we were moving the ball.
“Starks is a playmaker, and when he’s getting his yards, it opens some things up for Alex. They kind of complement each other. In a game like this where both teams have got guys going both ways, it’s just a matter of who is going to wear down. I think Purcell got a little bit tired and we were really able to do some things, especially in the third quarter.”
Evan Schlensker had eight total tackles and Marshall Flaig intercepted a pass for the Rams. Their defensive front was strong across the board.
“I think we were definitely quicker, which helped us, but they were pretty big,” Badin senior tackle Jackson Mills said. “We knew they were a pass team most of the time, so we (did) a lot of work in moves and hands and quickness because we didn’t want to get engaged with them the whole time.”
Sophomore quarterback Zach Hoover was 16-of-25 for 156 yards for the Cavaliers. They avoided the shutout when Torrence Johnson (15 carries, 47 yards) scored on a 1-yard run with 1:25 left.
Purcell will travel to Fenwick on Friday. The Rams, meanwhile, will be dealing with an Alter team they haven’t beaten since 1999.
“We think we have a shot,” Mills said. “We’re taking it week by week because Coach Yordy tells us to not live in the success, but live in the little things that lead to the success.”
Purcell Marian 0-0-0-7—7
Badin 10-0-14-0—24
B: Davon Starks 24 run (Luke VanSteenkiste kick)
B: VanSteenkiste 30 field goal
B: Starks 44 run (VanSteenkiste kick)
B: Starks 5 run (VanSteenkiste kick)
P: Torrence Johnson 1 run (Zach Hoover kick)
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