Madonna’s 4 TDs lead Rustin over Oxford
OXFORD—Rustin rebounded from its tough loss to Kennett a week ago in a big way Friday Night at Oxford. The Golden Knights (3-1) broke open a tight game with a huge second half to beat the Hornets (1-3) by a score of 46-23.
“Any time you come here to Oxford, you’re going to be in a fight,” said Rustin coach Mike St. Clair. “Their quarterback did a nice job throwing the ball and they had a good scheme with their RPOs. We had a really good week of practice, and rebounded from a tough loss really well.”
Rustin got the first big break of the game before many fans were even settled into their seats, when Oxford fumbled on a third and short. The Knights recovered at the Hornet 13, and two plays later, quarterback John Crispino ran it in on a keeper.
The Knights next possession didn’t take much longer. After taking over on downs at their own 38, Rustin needed just three plays to reach the endzone again, this time when Drew Gallen (4 carries, 131 yards, 2TD) busted loose for a 45-yard scamper and a 13-0 Rustin lead, with barely five minutes off the clock.
Rustin pulled off the big power runs and sweeps all night long, particularly when Nick Madonna (11carries, 206 yards, 4TD) had the ball. Madonna had three runs of 40 or more yards, and Gallen had two more. In all, Rustin piled up 394 yards rushing on 30 carries.
“We started a little slowly, but just kept pushing,” said Madonna. “We got our heads together at halftime and really just started doing the things we needed to do to get the ‘W.’ The o-line was making some big blocks, and once we started hitting those holes, big runs opened up.”
Oxford battled right back into it in the first half, with its passing game firing on all cylinders. QB Tom Repetz threw for 128 of his 222 yards in the first half, twice hitting Justin Neskie (6 catches, 117 yards, 3TDs) for touchdowns, adding another score in the second half.
After Rustin broke things open a bit with a 47-yard TD run on the first play of the second half, Oxford answered back with a drive of its own, deep into Rustin territory, getting a first-and-goal from the two. But the Knights stuffed four straight running plays, leaving the Hornets about six inches shy of getting back within a score.
“We knew this was a critical part of the game, and we didn’t want to give them that kind of momentum,” said Knights defensive end Matt Montgomery. “Our guys in the middle really stepped up and just clogged it up and didn’t allow anything. Once we stopped them once, we all just felt like there was no way they were getting in. I am not totally pleased with the way we played—there’s always room to improve—but it was good to bounce back and get the win.”
The Hornets never packed it in, and battled to the end, but in the end, the big plays and an inability to finish were too much to overcome.
“Our offense is gaining confidence and playing pretty well,” said Oxford coach Mike Means. “We were in it for a while, but St. Clair is going to pick and poke until he finds something that works. Our defense is young, and we have some things to work on. And we just left too many points on the field, a few times getting inside the red zone and coming up empty.”
