Big plays carry Upper Dublin past Central
UPPER DUBLIN >> On the third play from scrimmage Friday night, Upper Dublin looked like it might be in some trouble.
The Cardinals faced and 3rd-and-20 from their own 35-yard line. Wide receiver Brian McCarry found himself all alone on a fly pattern and quarterback Mike Slivka found him for a 65-yard touchdown.
That big play set the tone for Upper Dublin’s 38-9 win over Central at Upper Dublin High School’s Cardinal Stadium.
After the Cardinals extended their lead to 15-0 on a long drive where Slivka connected with McCarry on 3rd-and-11 and Bazel Brady on 3rd-and-8, they were back to their big-play ways.
On the first play after Slivka made a diving interception around midfield, the senior quarterback found his classmate Brady for a 52-yard touchdown to make it a 23-3 Upper Dublin lead early in the second quarter.
“It’s what they gave us,” Upper Dublin coach Bret Stover said. “They jumped some of our short stuff and Mike was able to find the deep stuff tonight. It’s week-by-week what certain teams take away or try to take away and what they give you. He’s that good. If you leave somebody uncovered he’s going to find them. You can’t do that to him. He’s a next-level player when he’s out there.”
The final big play came less than two minutes later. Junior Micah Bootman returned a punt 52 yards to the house, giving the Cardinals a commanding 31-3 advantage.
Fast Learner
Brady never played football at any level before this season.
In his first two games, he has three catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
“My friends, the quarterback especially, kind of hyped me up,” the 6-foot-3 195-pound Brady said about joining the team. “They made me play. I tried it out and I love it.
“(Mike and I) have good chemistry, for sure.”
“We got him out to team camp and everything,” Slivka said. “He wanted it. He would study the plays and everything. He got the plays down and he earned a spot at team camp. He hasn’t let it go. He’s catching the ball, doing his job. We’ve been best friends our whole lives. I love throwing to him.
“He’s big. He’s tall. I thought he could be a good wideout. I wish he played all four years and he said he wishes he did too. At least we got him this year.”
Stover is also excited about what Brady brings to the offense.
“He worked with Mike (Slivka) a lot,” Stover said. “He and Mike are really good friends from the basketball team and growing up together. Mike and him spend a lot of time (together). He picked our offense up really quick. What’s enabled him to push himself to the top of the barrel is he knows what he’s doing. He knows where to go. He knows the routes. He does a nice job. He’s catches the ball. He’s got real soft hands. It’s cool when you find those diamonds like that.”
Dominant Defense Again
For the second consecutive week, the Upper Dublin defense didn’t allow a touchdown.
In Week 1 against Norristown they kept the Eagles scoreless before exiting the game early in the fourth.
Against Central the starting Cardinals defense left the field with a 38-3 lead.
“(Central) had a couple good drives,” Slivka said, “got down in our red zone. We got our team together, hyped them up and we stopped them. That’s good for our defense — it’s awesome.”
Room to improve
Despite the 2-0 start, Upper Dublin has things to work on.
The biggest weakness through two weeks has been penalties. Through two games the Cardinals have committed 24 penalties for 180 yards.
“Still too many holding penalties and the defensive offsides,” Stover said. “We worked on it all week. It’s frustrating, but, again, they’re young. They’re going to get better and hopefully they’re not making these mistakes in late September and October in crunch time when we get into the league, because our league is going to be very tough this year.”
