L-P stumbles in second half in loss to Metamora

METAMORA – For the first half, La Salle-Peru executed in all three phases against Metamora.

The Cavaliers dominated on defense, made game-changing plays on special teams and capitalized on offense to take a six-point halftime lead.

But after the intermission, the L-P offense couldn’t move the ball, forcing the defense to stay on the field and allowing the Redbirds to rally for a 22-14 victory in a nonconference game at Malone Field.

“Once again, the defense played great,” L-P coach Jose Medina said. “We were in the game for the majority of it. I was telling the boys, ‘We were fighting the entire game. It just didn’t go our way. Our offense kind of puttered out. We couldn’t move the ball. Our defense was out there longer than we wanted them out there.

“It’s a four-quarter game. Unfortunately, we only played three of them. Hats off to Metamora. They came out better than we did in the second half.”

Leading 14-8 at halftime, the Cavs received the kickoff to start the third quarter but quickly went three-and-out.

The Redbirds then marched 55 yards on 12 plays, taking 7:23 off the clock before quarterback Stephen Petri plunged into the end zone from a yard out with 2:57 left in the third quarter. The extra point gave Metamora the lead for good at 15-14.

Metamora maintained momentum as the Redbirds intercepted a pass and Evan Keil raced for a 76-yard touchdown on Metamora’s next offensive play to extend the lead to 22-14 with 1:24 left in the third.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, did not have a drive last more than four plays and did not gain a first down in the second half.

“Offensively, you can’t have all three-and-outs and hope to win a game,” Medina said. “I think we lost on the front line. I think they were a little quicker than us. We just couldn’t pass protect well enough for our quarterback to look down the field.”

In the first half, special teams helped the Cavaliers take the lead.

On Metamora’s second possession, Cameron Olivero burst through Metamora’s protection to block a punt to set the Cavs up at the Redbird 21-yard line.

“Coach (Pat) Carney called a blitz to block the punt and we got it,” Medina said. “That was a good play by our special teams.”

Three plays later, Adrian Arzola slipped through a defender’s attempted tackle and ran for a 15-yard touchdown with 56.3 seconds left in the first quarter.

“Getting that burst from Arzola kept us energized,” Medina said.

After Metamora took the lead with a 5-yard TD run by Jaiduan Cranford followed by a two-point conversion with 1:49 left in the opening half, the Cavs came up with another big special teams play.

Arzola caught the kickoff at the 5-yard line and sprinted for a 95-yard kick return touchdown. He also returned a kick for a score in L-P’s 18-16 win over United Township in Week 1.

“I preach to the kids they have to stay on their blocks and block to the whistle,” Medina said. “Fortunately, when you have a guy like Arzola, who is one of the fastest guys on our team, if you give him a little crease he’s going to make people miss.”

L-P, which lost linemen Dane Wicinski and Richie Santiago to injuries, finished with 47 rushing yards on 20 attempts and 47 passing yards on 3-of-14 passing.

Metamora finished with 248 rushing yards and nine passing yards.

“We pinched, we get after it,” Medina said. “We have guys who can slant and make plays on the line. Our linebackers are veteran guys who can help stop the ball when we need to.”

The Cavs (1-1) return to Howard Fellows Stadium next week to face Ottawa (1-1) in a nonconference game. It will be the first of two meetings between the rivals this fall.