School is back in session and so too is the 2013 high school football season.
Thursday was the first taste of action for the John Paul II Collegiate Crusaders as they hosted the Carpenter High School Spartans from Meadow Lake in a preseaon game at Beaver Lions Stadium.
The home team couldn't have asked for a better start. Running back Gavin Garden rumbled through the line and hit the open field for a 63-yard touchdown on the first play of the game from scrimmage. The Crusaders successfully completed a two-point conversion for a quick 8-0 lead.
The Spartans responded quickly with a 55-yard touchdown of their own, but it was promptly called back on a penalty.
Aaron Varjassy would cut the lead down to two points when he scored on a short screen pass from quarterback Kiel Burroughs with just over six minutes left in the first quarter, his second reception of the drive for the Spartans. An extra point made it 8-7 with JPII still leading.
Three minutes later, Burroughs began what turned out to be an absolutely dominating performance as he hit Kohl Eide, a popular receiver for the Spartans, for a 70-yard touchdown.
Now up 13-8, the Spartans elected to go for the onside kick and it paid off. The big, athletic Eide recovered the kick and brought it to the 15-yard line of the Crusaders. After a five-yard penalty, Eide finished what he started with a 20-yard touchdown run. The Spartans then ran in the two-point conversion for a 21-8 lead going into the second quarter.
The Crusaders threatened to score early in the second, including two runs from inside the 10 yard line by quarterback Tyler Wasmuth, but the Spartans' stingy defensive line stuffed the attempts and it resulted in a JPII turnover.
Shortly after, Varjassy broke away from everybody and found daylight as he ran 74-yard for a touchdown, his second of the game.
It went from bad to worse for the Crusaders. After a short offensive series, Meadow Lake once again had the ball. Burroughs threw his third touchdown of the game, this time a 29-yard strike. Another two-point conversion gave the Spartans a commanding 35-8 lead.
With the game looking to be out of reach, the Crusaders weren't worrying about punting the ball and began to run plays in an attempt to convert tough fourth down situations. It led to many turnovers on downs, but resulted in much needed reps for the offensive players.
It was a tough first time out for the JPII players as they ran into a Meadow Lake team with solid offence and defence. The Spartans were led offensively by Burroughs, whose nine touchdown passes couldn't even be topped by Peyton Manning Thursday night.
Defensively, linebacker Randy Chaillee found himself involved in most tackles and was a force at the defensive line.
The game would end up as a blowout with the Spartans winning 90-8.
Late in the game, the Crusaders' offence started gelling better, a good sign moving forward, as Wasmuth started moving the ball in the air and on the ground. It might have been too little, too late, but during the preseason was the ideal time for the JPII club to work out the kinks.
