Driscoll thrashes Morris
Those 11-play scoring drives can be such a drag.
After clawing for 83 yards to score on their first possession, Driscoll pounced with four touchdown "drives" of 1 play and another of 2 in a didn't-see-that-coming 42-0 football victory over 2007 Class 5A runner-up Morris on Friday in Addison.
"Our offensive line did a great job the whole game," said Driscoll quarterback Steven Schwabe, who completed 13 of 19 passes for 302 yards, 294 of them in a first half Driscoll led 35-0. "Without them we do absolutely nothing. I didn't get touched the whole game."
Highlanders linemen Andrew O'Reilly, Jerrod Callanta, Mike Labadessa, Austin Hennessy and Francesco Girardi were in top form. So was the coaching staff, with assistant Dan Paplaczyk calling the offense for head coach Brandon New.
"All week all the coaches did was study the film and know what they (Morris) were doing at the same time, reading their defenses. They just made the right play calls to get the ball in the end zone," said receiver Clay Cooper, who scored on catches of 55 and 27 yards.
Driscoll (2-0) needed three third-and-long conversions by Schwabe on its first drive. Directing a no-huddle, shotgun-spread offense, he found Austin Baker on a 34-yard pass and Nick Campanella on a 24-yarder before hitting Baker for an 11-yard flare in the end zone. Brett Warren kicked the first of 6 extra points as Driscoll led 7-0 at 7:40 of the first quarter.
"That guy (Baker) is basically better than anybody we've got on our team," said Morris coach George Dergo. "That makes a difference, having athletes that can go and make plays for you."
"They just throw it up and my height, it helps," said the 6-foot-4 Baker, who caught 5 balls for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns. "A jump ball, that's all it is."
Morris (0-2) fumbled on its next series. Trace Jenkins stripped the ball, Frank Barcal recovered it and Driscoll exploded, scoring on its next three plays of the first quarter - a pass to Baker, 2 to Cooper - to lead 28-0 after a quarter.
Campanella took in a middle screen for a 35-0 lead 1:19 before halftime. Cooper's 1-yard touchdown run for a 42-0 lead at 10:30 of the third quarter started a running clock, after Morris back Adam Tondini retired with an ankle injury and game-high 52 yards rushing.
"I could see in the pregame speech our kids were ready for football, and they were ready for four quarters," New said. "And I think the final score reflected that."