No Sidney. No Sweet. No Sweat.
/Whatever black cloud is following the highly touted Bishop Amat football team this year dissipated a bit with the Lancers' 28-10 victory over Servite Friday night.
With two very important offensive weapons out for the game—running back Torreahno Sweet suspended and wide receiver Trevon Sidney injured—the Lancers were still able to handily defeat the Friars with the feet and arm of quarterback Damien Garcia.
Garcia has, in all likelihood, ended any potential quarterback controversy with last night's performance. Garcia hooked up with Tyler Vaughns for two touchdown passes and scampered for two more TDs on runs of 18 and 13 yards, the last one worthy of a highlight reel.
Speaking of highlight reels, can you say Tyler Vaughns? The young man has a preternatural instinct for the ball. His first touchdown grab was in between two defenders, and he was still able to come down with it. This is what epitomizes the joy of high school sports: A naturally gifted athlete rising to the occasion and evolving into a big playmaker right before our eyes.
As for that black cloud, it seems to have unleashed the injury bug on the Lancers' front line. Kai Higgins went down early in the game, and offensive lineman Marcos Castillo had to be helped off the field in the fourth quarter.
The Lancers do appear to be getting their mojo back. With the right play calling, the offense can really move the ball down the field. Sophomore running back Dominic Barrera, after a slow start, began to find the holes and run with authority. The defense was very adept at stopping Servite's passing attack.
There are still areas of concern. The right side of the defense needs some shoring up against the run. Garcia has a tendency to want to do too much. He dodged a bullet on an ill-advised shovel pass that was intercepted but negated by a Servite penalty. Special teams had their share of miscues: a missed PAT and a bad punt snap for the second week in a row. Luckily, we have Garcia also doing the punting. He was able to avoid a disaster on the botched snap with his quickness and scrambling abilities. The bright side of the punting team: Garcia has a powerful leg, getting off a booming 63-yarder.
Are the Lancers back on track? Check in next week as they face Colony High School at home. The good-natured, raucous spectacle that is the Dog Pound student section is worth the price of admission alone. Throw in some great football under the lights on a warm Friday night—it doesn't get any better than that.
The Lancers face Colony at home next Friday, September 11. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.
