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Unlucky Number 7: Cardinals fall to ESD for seventh straight loss
BY Matthew Costa, Staff Writer
After six disappointing losses to end the 2011 season, fans of John Paul II (0-1) looked forward to watching the opening of football season.
What they saw instead Friday was a 42-17 home loss against the Eagles of Episcopal School of Dallas and the seventh consecutive loss for their Cardinals. The Cardinals were undone by multiple mistakes, including 10 penalties and four lost fumbles after trailing by only four points at halftime.
"We've got a lot of work to do to eliminate those mistakes," said David Gaffney, John Paul head coach. "We've got to make plays when we get the opportunity and we can't put the ball on the ground."
John Paul's defense would hold but was quickly forced into a three-and-out that became the decisive moment in the game.
The Eagles stuck with the formula from the previous drive and gave the ball to Johnson again, who rewarded his team with a 31-yard touchdown run and a 28-17 lead that wasn't threatened by the Cardinals for the rest of the game. In fact, John Paul's offense, which had gained more than 300 yards in the first half, could not get any further than its 32-yard line for the second half.
If the Cardinals had any hope of a comeback from that point, it was quickly dashed by a pass between multiple defenders from Fitts to Jason Goolsby from 38 yards away, giving the Eagles a 35-17 advantage with a minute left in the third.
From there, John Paul fought to gain possession, but to no avail as it fell in its first attempt of the 2012 campaign.
"They kept the ball on the ground more in the second half," Gaffney said. "They really wanted to work on the clock. They didn't let us get going."
The game could be a harbinger of bigger things for John Paul senior quarterback Chase McCoy, who combined for 241 yards and a rushing touchdown while completing 11-of-19 passes. He did, however, lose two fumbles as well.
McCoy's weapons were limited as junior running back Austin Barnes left the game in the second quarter after amassing 95 yards rushing on five carries along with a touchdown. Barnes' score came on a 65-yard run midway through the first that looked to be a sign of things to come as ESD could not stop the rushing attack of John Paul early on.
After the Cardinals' defense held ESD to a rare punt, McCoy led the charge the following drive, accounting for 78 of 80 total yards, including the 45-yard run that gave his team a 17-7 advantage with one minute to go in the first half.
When asked if anyone in particular wowed him, coach Gaffney could not name just one.
"Nobody stood out," he said. "A lot of our guys made big plays, but they also made mistakes."
Unfortunately for John Paul, the scoring would end then, as the team was shutout the rest of the game in the 42-17 loss.
"Everybody's still working on what they'll be doing once conference games hit," Gaffney said. "We're going to check the game tape early tomorrow, but I don't think we were beaten tonight. I think we lost."
John Paul II will look to avenge the loss and end its seven-game losing streak at 7 p.m. Friday when it hosts Greenhill.
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