by This game is brought to you by these fine sponsors – Sponsors – KEE On Sports Media Group
The Columbia Raiders traveled to Independence High School on Friday. The sounds of “Hell’s Bells” and “Till I Collapse” filled the stadium early in the night. Unfortunately, it was an early exit for most Independence fans. The Raiders went on to route the Blue Devils by a score of 56-7.
The first Blue Devil drive stalled out around mid-field after Head Coach Rick Adams burned two early timeouts. The game’s first score came from a 37-yard rush by Marco Cirigliano, who had 4 TD’s on the night.
The Blue Devil offense took the field for the second time with 7:17 remaining in the 1st quarter and went 3-and-out. After an abysmal 18-yard punt, Columbia only required 39 yards on 4 plays to find pay dirt. An 18-yard touchdown from quarterback Carter Kalamasz to Vince Berardi pushed the lead to 14.
On the ensuing possession, the Blue Devils marched the ball down to the opposing 29-yard line. In a 4th and short situation, sophomore man under center, Dominic Narduzzi, dumped it off to Rory Corrigan that resulted in no gain and their second turnover on downs within the first quarter.
Columbia fumbled the snap on the next play, which led to the Blue Devils’ only score of the night. Narduzzi connected with Max Tarnowski on a ten yard throw and catch.
With the score set at 14-7, Cirigliano scored for a second time early in the 2nd quarter. When Independence got the ball back, a false start on 1st down and a sack on 3rd caused them to punt the ball away again.
The Raiders then staged another 69-yard drive, on just 5 plays, that was capped with Cirigliano’s 3rd rushing touchdown of the night. Columbia took a 28-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The second half provided more of the same. Columbia scores, Frank Washburn, kicks it back through the Blue Devils’ end zone for a touchback.
Early in the 2nd half, Cirigliano’s 4th and final touchdown came after a 12-yard rush that left the score at 35-7. Senior fullback Tony Governale and the two freshman tailbacks, Jimmy Stofey and Jose Rivera, each added a touchdown of their own to the stat sheet and left the scoreboard reading 56-7 by the end of the fourth quarter.
The Blue Devil offense struggled to get any sort of momentum going. The main reason for that was the Raiders’ defense dominating the line of scrimmage. Each Independence drive was riddled with costly mistakes and penalties.
To make matters worse, their star running back and outside linebacker, Rory Corrigan went out early in the 2nd quarter with a head-injury. They had to rely heavily on sophomore quarterback Dominic Narduzzi, who struggled.
He did not cause a turnover, which is certainly a plus. However, it was apparent that the young right-hander is certainly still trying to get his feet beneath him.
Players of the game:
COLUMBIA #3 MARCO CIRIGLIANO (JR)
4 rushing touchdowns, 100+ yards, 2 tackles
COLUMBIA #80 FRANK WASHBURN (SR)
8/8 XPM, 6/8 kickoffs for touchbacks, more points than Blue Devil offense
