“Everything’s just coming together,’ senior Alex Linton said. “We’ve improved a lot from the beginning of the year. Leaps and bounds.’
Those Knights weren’t capable of what they did Saturday night at Marple Newtown, thoroughly dominating Valley Forge Military Academy, 41-8, in Bicentennial League play. Delco Christian didn’t punt. It gained 384 yards of total offense — all on the ground. It led 14-0 after the first quarter, 24-0 at halftime and 38-0 late in the third quarter.
The game, which went as the Knights’ fifth straight victory, wasn’t close at any point. Delco Christian coach Drew Pearson’s tricky variation of the Wing-T couldn’t be stopped.
“Our offensive line is the key,’ he said. “If they move people, anyone can run behind them.’
Those guys did most of the work, paving the way for big games out of Nazim Trammell-Wells (159 yards, two touchdowns), Linton (91 yards, two touchdowns) and Amir Dorsey (56 yards). Quarterback Sterling Williams, who only attempted one pass, had 35 yards and the game’s first score — a 3-yard run midway through the first quarter.
The drive, which ate up the first 5:27 of the contest, was the closest VFMA came to stopping Delco Christian (6-2 overall, 5-1 league). The next series was capped by Linton’s 2-yard charge. Then, it was Trammell-Wells from 17 yards out.
“Coach (Pearson) was calling up perfect plays,’ Linton said.
VFMA (4-4, 3-3) didn’t get a first down until late in the first half. That drive ended with a Jake Allen interception, one of two he’d wind up with. Ford Harvey made it count, kicking a 31-yard field goal as the halftime buzzer sounded.
Pearson has been preaching culture all season. He wants his team to play tough, and play physically. It took a while to get there, but the Knights are there now. They exhibit it with their ground-and-pound style offensively, and with a hard-charging defense.
“It’s the same thing,’ Pearson said. “I feel like where our kids have come from since the beginning of the year in being a physical team, it’s something we want to be, and we can say that we are.’
Trammell-Wells’ 32-yard burst got the second-half scoring going. Linton, with 3:36 left in the third quarter, scored from 6 yards away to start the running clock. Another Harvey field goal, this time from the 22, finished things off for Delco Christian.
“It’s been a good night,” junior Jack Grim said.
The lone blemish for Delco Christian was Audley Isaccs’ 48-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. It ruined the shutout, but didn’t ruin the night.
Now, the Knights will focus on Calvary Christian in the regular season-finale next week. With a playoff spot all but assured and the league title seemingly unattainable, they will be going for second place.
Who they will face in the playoffs, or what seed they will wind up with, doesn’t matter right now.
“That’s the least of our concerns,’ Pearson said. “We’re just seriously trying to get better every week.’
