Assistant Editor Jerry Lindsey wrote this report and submitted the photos.
The Newman Central Catholic Football team sent its young Shooting Stars to Morrison, IL, to open the Fresh-Soph season, following their Varsity’s win over the Mustangs on Saturday night, August 28, 2021, by a 34-6 score. The young Morrison Ponies took the field on Monday, August 30, under new Coach Daniel Willis, who was anxious to implement the new offense brought to Morrison, by new Head Coach Steve Snider.
Both teams struggled in the first quarter. Newman gained only one yard in two possessions. Morrison turned the ball over with fumbles on their two possessions.
Morrison opened the second quarter with a 20 yard pass completion from Quarterback Cooper Bush to Chase Newman. Five plays later, Donny Reavy scored from the one-yard line to open the scoring. Deshaun McQueen ran the three yards for the two-point conversion, and the Ponies led 8-0, with 7:04 remaining in the first half.
The Shooting Stars struck back on their next possession. They drove 48-yards and scored on a 1-yard pass completion, from Carter Rude to Brady Grennan. Grennan powered over for the two-point conversion and tied the game at 8-8. Each team had another possession without scoring; the half ended in the 8-8 tie.
The game remained in limbo until the 4:33 mark of the fourth quarter. The Shooting Stars finished a 62-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run by Carter Rude. Rude crossed the endline again on a 2-point conversion run, and Newman grabbed a 16-8 lead. The Ponies’ last possession was hampered by penalties and ended with a failed fourth down, to give the Shooting Stars a 16-8 win over the Ponies.
Captions: 1. Daeshaun McQueen (13) intercepts a pass in front of Newman’s Isiah Williams (17.) 2. Cameron McDonnell (56) and Jason Hall (15) put the stop on Newman’s Brady Grennan (35.) 3. Jason Hall (15) drags down Cody McBride (22) for a loss. 4. Donny Reavy (25) cuts through a hole following the blocking of Jason Hall (15.)
