In a David and Goliath contest the Blue Demons show true grit against their larger opponents, but ultimately come up short
By P.J. D’Annunzio, Staff Writer, KennettTimes.com
Kennett's Barry Tomasetti Jr. fights for yardage Saturday against West Chester Rustin.
KENNETT SQUARE—With the cold drizzle that accompanied the end of the Kennett Blue Demons’ (3-2) battle against West Chester Rustin Saturday afternoon, Demons Head Coach Scott Green’s words thundered from midfield as he addressed his weary players after their tough loss against the Knights (4-1).
“Don’t leave here all cheerful because we played hard against a tough team,” he told them, “But don’t leave hanging your heads, moping because we lost.”
In the opening moments of the game it looked as though fortune might have favored Kennett in the way of a Rustin fumble, however, the Knights’ offense soon got their act together and charged forward.
Kennett’s defense, which was operating in top form against the much larger Rustin offensive line, manage to halt an early drive to their end zone, allowing only a field goal in the first quarter, leaving the Knights with a mere three-point advantage.
A Rustin defender wrestles down Kennett's Anthony Torello during Saturday's game.
Quarterback Barry Tomasetti Jr. found himself the target for a pack of Rustin defenders, but with a timely bail to Malik Rochester, the play was saved and Kennett advanced ever closer to the end zone, though the subsequent option tactics did not result in a touchdown.
Once again it was the Demons defensive line’s time to shine, showing their toughness by making the Knights fight for every inch of ground. After a sack on a second down, a rushing attempt was foiled by the quick thinking of Stephen Masha who took down the Knight ball carrier with great force.
Eventually Rustin furthered their lead with a TD, resulting in a score of 9-0, Knights, after a missed extra point. But Kennett fired back with a touchdown of its own, closing in with 9-6 on the board, and then again with a Brett Rose field goal to tie it up at 9-9 in the third.
Kennett's Anthony Torrello and Rustin's Cordero Taylor battle for the ball, Saturday.
Sadly, this would be the last time Kennett would score. Lethal interceptions from Hail Mary passes and much burlier offensive opponents would prove to be too much for the Demons, leaving them unable to achieve victory as the point deficit grew larger in fourth quarter, the final score 9-23.
“We had too many turnovers, we need to execute our option better,” Coach Green said, “But I am extremely proud of our defense. Even though we weren’t going to shut them our defense put in a good effort.”
As for Thursday’s match up against Sun Valley, Green indicated that he would continue to focus on conditioning the team and making practice a priority as well as giving his players enough time to recover physically.
“We’re going to focus on us,” he said, “We’re going to focus on getting better.”
