Immaculate Conception could look back at last Friday night’s victory at Immaculata as the turning point in its season.
The Lions played their best game from start to finish en route to a 16-7 win in the North Jersey Super Football Conference crossover contest.
The victory raised the Lions’ overall mark to 4-3, and the team has won back-to-back games for the first time this season. Immaculate Conception defeated Glen Ridge, 40-6, on Oct. 1.
A key set of downs against Immaculata came in the first quarter.
Freshman quarterback Davion Young took a snap and ran 70 yards for a touchdown to give the Lions a 7-0 lead.
“It was a called play,” said Lions head coach Maurice Lucas. “I called it, and they went in on a blitz that opened up the middle of the field. It was a dream play. I wish I could call all the plays that were like that.”
Young has come a long way this season and had his best game under center. The quarterback had 153 total yards and completed 6 of 11 pass attempts for 82 yards.
“He’s getting more relaxed, especially in the pocket,” Lucas said. “We’ve been screaming at him to be more patient and let the game come to him.”
After Young’s long touchdown run, Immaculata came right back, as Cameron Chadwick took the kickoff return 84 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7.
While the Lions did not score again until the third quarter, they maintained drives on offense and kept Immaculata off the scoreboard in the rest of the first half.
“We played as a team,” Lucas said. “Even after we scored and they returned the kickoff for a touchdown, we didn’t lose our
focus.”
For Immaculate Conception, the key player on defense was junior Jasim Shiggs, who had a couple of sacks, four tackles for a loss and an interception. “He had a monster game,” Lucas said, also pointing out that Shiggs had some runs that continued offensive drives.
But his key play was his interception that he took 80 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to give the Lions a 13-7 lead.
The Lions recently added an important piece, junior Ben Price, who missed the first few games of the season. Price’s kicking was instrumental against Immaculata, as he hit a 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.
“He was calling me from Alabama before the school year started telling me he wanted to be on the football team,” Lucas said. “He has been hitting 50-yard field goals in practice. … It gives us another weapon. We don’t have to go on fourth down within the 30 with him on the team.”
Against Immaculata, the Lions had many of their key players on the field at the same time. Both senior running back Marcus Gornowicz and sophomore running back Jordan Jenkins were on the field after suffering injuries in previous games.
Gornowicz carried the ball eight times for 54 yards. While Jenkins was in only a couple plays on offense, he played extensively on defense.
With the crossover win, the Lions go back to NJSFC National Red Division play as they host Shabazz on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Codey Field.