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AKRON, Ohio– The Battle of the Bell wasn’t really much of a battle, with Walsh Jesuit retaining bragging rights after their 43-13 win over St. vincent-St. Mary Friday night.
FINAL: Walsh 43, SVSM 13, the Bell stays with the Warriors!@WalshJesuitFB pic.twitter.com/UD0epdr9dM
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) September 23, 2023
Warrior senior running back Brock Sherman looked like he was going to have a big game right out of the gates. Big gain after big gain, touchdown after touchdown, the only thing that stopped Sherman was an ankle injury, an injury that put him out for the rest of the game late in the first quarter.
Brock Sherman bullies his way in for a TD. Walsh Jesuit leads St. Vincent-St. Mary 7-0, 10:25 left in the first quarter. @SportsKee1 @brock_sherman_ @WalshJesuitFB pic.twitter.com/ogwbj4iWKB
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) September 22, 2023
“Losing Brock Sherman is a huge loss to this football team,” Warrior head coach Nick Alexander said. “He’s the heart and soul of this football team but his emotional support and the way he was there at halftime to get these guys to play hard was phenomenal.”
Sherman’s two rushing scores got his team a 14-7 advantage after the first quarter. From there, junior running back Lucas Weaver and the offense churned out consistent yards, tiring out the Irish defense en route to a dominant close to the first half.
It started with a John Keough 12-yard touchdown catch just one minute and thirty seconds into the second quarter. There was a sense of frustration within the Irish offense, as nothing was really clicking when things needed to.
John Keough’s TD catch makes it 20-7 after the missed PAT. WJ went for it on fourth down earlier in the drive and caps it off with another score.
Walsh Jesuit leads 20-7, 10:26 left in the first half.@John_keo_ @WalshJesuitFB @SportsKee1 pic.twitter.com/Vc0CKn7bKU— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) September 22, 2023
To close out the first half, Weaver found the end zone from two yards out to give his team a commanding 26-7 statement at the break.
It all starts with the way coach Alexander’s players were blocking up front, where he gave credit to assistant coach Drew Turner.
“I’m just so proud of our offensive line, coach Turner and the way that he gets those guys going up front,” Alexander explained. “Our running backs all run hard, they all have a different identity…..It all starts up front when our offensive line is blocking like that and we’re running hard, we’re tough to stop”
@WalshJesuitFB is starting to pull away after this two-yard TD run from Lucas Weaver.
WJ 26, SVSM 7. @SportsKee1 @LucasWeaver2025 pic.twitter.com/kyVSZ1iBJ0— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) September 23, 2023
On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, the Irish got a spark from running back DJ Johnson as he powered his way to a 67-yard touchdown, getting his team within 13 points trailing 26-13. That’s as close as his team would get to any shot of a comeback because every time there seemed to be a little bit of life with the Irish, the Warrior offense answered in a dramatic fashion.
In fact, the Irish were shut out from that point on. The Warrior defense seemed just as explosive and sound as its offense, not letting the Irish make any big plays down the field. Weaver ended the night with two rushing touchdowns, including one late in the fourth quarter to put his team ahead 36-13.
Lucas Weaver with another TD for @WalshJesuitFB.
They lead 36-13, 5:59 left in the 3rd Q. @LucasWeaver2025 pic.twitter.com/pomy9iyRyd— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) September 23, 2023
“Weaver is awesome, he does a really good job of staying patient,” Alexander said. “He’s got breakaway speed and he’s one of the strongest guys in the locker room.
“The offensive line makes it super easy for me to come in and step in,” Weaver explained. “It’s really easy for me to just stay patient back there to open up a hole.”
Up next for Alexander and the Warriors is the best team in the state of Ohio in Division II, the Archbishop Hoban Knights.
“They’re No.1 in the state and nationally ranked for a reason,” Alexander said. “We’re going to enjoy this one tonight and I know when I go turn that film on tomorrow I’m going to have a long week ahead of me.”
