Sports

Flyers Get Wings Clipped 20-14 by Xaverian

Turnovers still a problem for Chaminade.

Kendall Thomas came running up the sideline avoiding the defense left and right, making his way upfield – until he ran into Flyers DB Andrew Suozzi. The Chaminade junior plowed into Thomas, forcing him out of bounds with a clash of helmets so loud you could hear the crack in the upper ends of the bleachers just before the halftime buzzer Saturday at Ott Field.

Thomas spent the second half with his right arm in a sling, and 24 minutes later, so did Chaminade, on the losing half of a 20-14 score. Thomas had 94 of Xaverian's 182 yards on five completions from QB Greg Rando, who went 12-for-20.

"It's deflating," Xaverian head coach Joe DeSiena said. "He's as an exciting a player as you can find in high school football," referring to the player he calls "Speedy."

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For the second week in a row, the Flyers were felled by their own turnovers.  A pair of fumbles allowed the Clippers to take over at their own 11-yard line and drive it all the way up the field in the second, while QB Joseph Anile was picked off by Xaverian's Isaiah Kearney.

"We said 'if we can hold them to 14 or less, we're going to score over 20," DeSiena said.  "The focus this week was on defense and special teams."

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Anile went 4/14 for 59 yards in the game and handed the ball off to sophomore RB Dan Fowler who raced in for both of Chaminade's two touchdowns from 19 and two-yards out. Flyer junior Ed Tigh had two receptions for 29-yards and ran for 17.

A poor Clipper punt in the third set the Flyers up with a gift on Xaverian's 48-yard line but Anile's fumble forced a turnover on the ensuing play.  "I guess it's a good problem to have, that was our first punt of the year," DeSiena said.

Laray Smith put Xaverian (1-0) up a seemingly insurmountable 20-7 on a 20-yard run with less than six minutes left. "He's as explosive a running back as you're going to see in the league," DeSiena said. "If you get the right play called against the right defense it doesn't matter where you are on the field, it's going."

Following Fowler's second TD to cap an 80-yard drive to bring Chaminade (0-2) within a TD of victory, Anile gave the Flyer crowd one final thrill, finding senior Zach Ogilvie on a fourth-and-10 late in the fourth to Xaverian's 40-yard line, but could not come any closer, forcing a turnover on downs and ultimately ending the game.


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