Ellis’ move to QB has Upper Darby on the move

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UPPER DARBY — It’s no coincidence that Upper Darby’s offense has operated at a high level since junior Montez Ellis was installed at the quarterback position.

Coach Dave Barr made the change two weeks ago after the Royals suffered their fourth loss in five games. Something had to be done.

With a 47-14 victory over Penncrest at Memorial Field on senior night, the Royals have scored 75 points in their last two games. They have a very good defense that’s still getting better, but their offense was sputtering prior to last week’s 28-14 win over Lower Merion.

Ellis was the Royals’ bellcow at running back the first five games of the season. He’s their most explosive player, capable of big gains on the ground every time he rushes the ball. The idea, simple enough, was to get the ball into Ellis’ hands as much as possible.

Moreover, Barr believed former starting quarterback Donte Shaw’s skills were better suited at wide receiver, though Shaw would still have chances to play quarterback from time to time. That was the case Friday night.

“(Ellis) has such a special vision, and we wanted to give him more ways to be creative,” Barr said. “Donte was doing a great job and he’s been awesome for us at receiver. He has been really effective for us out in space.

The moves are paying off for the Royals and Barr and his coaching staff are looking pretty smart.

One thing didn’t change about Ellis’ game: he can run the football with the best players in Delco. He amassed 133 yards with a pair touchdown runs against Penncrest. Ellis also showed a nice touch throwing the ball, connecting on four attempts for 40 yards. One of his two incompletions was a Hail Mary on the final play of the first half, intercepted by Jimmy Cage.

“I took it as a challenge because this is my first year playing quarterback,” Ellis said. “Working on (playing QB) in practice is not good enough. I have to practice more and more, to get better at it, and as of right now I’m just doing what the team needs me to do and help us win.”

With Ellis at quarterback, junior Dishon Lee has emerged as a backfield weapon for the Royals. Against the Lions, Lee and Ellis finished with the same amount of rushing yards (133). Lee posted running scores of eight and 11 yards in the first half, and on the first play from scrimmage after halftime, darted 70 yards to the house to give the Royals a 27-7 advantage,

The UD defense, which held high-powered Ridley to its fewest points of the season (17) in September, created six turnovers. Senior end Julien Laventure was a beast, racking up several tackles in the first half. He had a few sacks and TFLs, too. Meanwhile, the defensive secondary intercepted Penncrest quarterback Nick Chelo on three occasions. Covenant Horace had two picks, Jihad Cave with one.

“It takes consistent practice and hard work, starting in the classroom,” Laventure said. “We’ve been keeping our heads focused as a defense and watching a lot of film, waking up 7:30 in the morning, and we’re studying our teams. We know we’re getting better, but to get to the next level, we just have to be consistent in practice and in games.”

Brennan Kaut had both a rushing and receiving touchdown for Penncrest (1-6). Jimmy Cage had a nice night at wide receiver, catching four passes for 76. Kaut (86 yards) and Mike Burke (50 yards) led the ground attack.

Matt Smith

Matt Smith
Matt Smith is a sports writer with the Delaware County Daily Times. To contact him, email msmith@delcotimes.com or follow him on Twitter @DTMattSmith.

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