Crusaders defense looks to bounce back
Trending
ZANESVILLE -- Catholic Central's defense was not quite as strong last week as Crusaders fans have grown accustom to over the last year-plus, and the result was a 34-19 loss on the road at Strasburg.
That defensive unit coming together and correcting things has been the focus for head coach Eric Meek and company this week, and for good reason.
That reason is another trip coming up Friday, this time to Zanesville to take on a very talented Bishop Rosecrans team that is sure to be another tough test for the Central defenders.
"It stung because we really moved the ball on the ground, we averaged about seven yards a carry … but we did not play well defensively at all," Meek said. "It was disheartening because that is something we have done the last year-plus is play really good defense."
Strasburg scored on three pass plays in the opening half and a pair of runs, including a 67-yarder, in the second half. So, the Crusaders are working to get better in both aspects.
The defense was key to a 20-6 Week 1 win over Wellsville.
"(Strasburg) was 12 of 16 through the air against us and they had some big runs," Meek said. "It was very surprising, but give them credit they have a good footall team. They were four minutes from going to overtime the week before with a Division V team, so we knew it was going to be a challenge. But, we just didn't seem to play the football I seem to think we're capable of playing."
A bright spot last week was a three-touchdown performance from Jimmy Hernon against the Tigers. He now has five rushing scores on the season.
"Our running attack was really the only positive," Meek said. "We ran the ball well."
The Bishops, meanwhile, have had no problem in scoring, going 2-0. They blanked Beallsville 46-0 on the road in Week 1, then again broke the 40 mark with a 41-14 victory over New London in their home opener last week.
Junior Brody Zemba has averaged 100 receiving yards and 106 rushing yards, racking up more than 400 yards of offense in the two wins for the Bishops while finding the end zone five times. He is a big play machine, averaging more than 19 yards per carry and 50 yards per catch.
Quarterback Hayden Perdue has averaged nearly 170 yards passing in two games, while throwing eight touchdowns without an interception. Freshman Jacobie Balo is averaging more than 10 yards per carry.
"This takes nothing away from Wellsville and Strasburg, but I think Rosecrans is the best team on our schedule so far," Meek said. "They have tremendous speed, excellent speed. They have to have as much speed offensively as any team on our schedule. They're rolling, coming off of two big wins and they have a lot of kids back. They're a very dangerous team. If we play the type of defense we played a week ago, they can score a ton of points on us very quickly.
"The kids are aware and we had a real good day of practice on Monday and Tuesday and I like our kids. They're working hard."