ACA-CATHOLIC: Knights pummel Eagles
Catholic’s Caleb McCreary runs past Otasowie Dion on the way for a 40-yard score in the Knights’ win over ACA on Friday. (Dylan Hurst)
By DYLAN HURST
As Catholic works on replacing four of its five offensive linemen and several key defenders from last year’s squad, you would think the Knights might not be clicking on all cylinders.
After scoring 41 points in the season opener, Catholic throttled Alabama Christian Academy 61-7 on Friday night, taking what was supposed to be a good test for the Eagles and turning it into one of the worst defeats in school history at Faulkner University’s John Mark Stallings Field.
Caleb McCreary scrambled 40 yards for the game’s first touchdown and Luke Harkless pulled in a pair of touchdown passes from McCreary as the Knights picked up where they left off in last week’s season opener with McGill-Toolen, piling up 522 yards in the process.
“They were personal,” Harkless said of his scoring receptions. “ACA gave me my credit, but they also said he’s not a big factor for Montgomery Catholic. So it was personal for me.”
Apparently, his teammates took it as a personal affront as well, punting on their first possession, then scoring on the final nine possessions on offense while holding the Eagles to just one first down for much of the first half and just three first downs in the second half.
Harkless got the Knights started with a 40-yard reception on the second possession. He added an eight-yard catch over the middle for the game’s second touchdown and a 24-yard catch over the middle for the game’s third touchdown, amassing 116 yards on five first-half receptions.
“It started with the line,” Harkless said. “And then Caleb put the ball on the money. I just thank him for that.”
McCreary rolled out and weaved through the ACA defense for the game’s first points, building a 6-0 lead on a 40-yard scramble to the end zone that would have made heralded tailback Jeremiah Cobb proud.
“Playing with somebody like him, you’ve got to pick up some things,” McCreary said. “I try to utilize my legs more this year since everybody thinks I’m not a runner.”
He had 85 yards on six first-half carries, but it didn’t sit well with head coach Kirk Johnson.
“It’s very stressful,” Johnson said. “We want Caleb to utilize his legs but we want him to be smart with it. He took way too many shots.”
McCreary completed 7 of 10 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns, with all but one of those passes coming in the first half and five of the six remaining completions going to Harkless.
“He’s a playmaker,” McCreary said. “You get your playmakers the ball and they make plays. So whenever you’re in a slump, that’s what we always aim to do.”
They came out of the “slump” quickly, using the Harkless catches for a 20-0 lead before Cobb took over, scoring on a 9-yard jet sweep late in the first half and runs of 39 and 5 yards in the third quarter for a 40-0 lead. Cobb finished with 196 yards on 12 carries, adding a 55-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, as a respectable ACA defense struggled to hold the Catholic offense, and its rebuilt offensive line, in check.
“They’re coached really well,” Johnson said of his offensive line. “Jimbo Chappell does a great job with those guys. He pours his heart into those guys. We always talk about the two coaches you have to have is an O-line coach and a D-line coach because the game is won in the trenches. A big shout-out to him for creating a unit that is cohesive and has a little chip on their shoulder. They want to perform, especially for their coach.”
ACA tailback Corey Landers finished with 144 yards on 16 carries, sprinting 78 yards to the end zone with a little more than eight minutes remaining in the game against the Catholic reserves.
“We had big roles (on defense) to fill after everybody left last year,” said Harkless, who played some in the secondary in the first half. “Jaden Jones and Zay Rudolph and Willie Hall filled big roles with the linebackers who left last year. I feel pretty good about them this season.”
While the Eagles were able to generate some offense, giving fans a glimpse of what to expect later in the year, they couldn’t sustain their offensive production against the Knights, suffering the second largest margin of defeat ever to a Capital City Conference team (losing 62-0 to Montgomery Academy in 1979) and the worst loss since a 2015 loss to Eufaula.
And while Catholic’s youthful defense deserves its share of credit for Friday’s win, it was the relentless offense that turned the game into a rout, led by its four new starting offensive linemen.
“They’ve stepped up,” McCreary said. “They play with big-boy shoes on. They learned from last year, when they weren’t playing, and they’re playing big right now.”
ACA (0-1) travels to Lynn next week, while Catholic (2-0) opens region play at Booker T. Washington.