Cole Bailey
ASU Student Journalist

Saint Mary's Meets Arcadia in Non-League Contest

September 5, 2018 by Cole Bailey, Arizona State University


Saint Mary's looks to follow up last week's victory with another one this weekend (Cole Bailey/AZPreps365)

In some ways, the Saint Mary’s and Arcadia football teams are a lot alike.  The two schools had their fair share of struggles last year, but both have shown signs of improvement so far in the young 2018 season.  Now, the two will meet this Friday night at Arcadia in a non-league game, with both teams looking to use the momentum gained from victories last week to put another win on their records.

After a tough loss to a good Seton Catholic team in their season opener, Saint Mary’s defeated Marcos de Niza last week for their first win of the season, a mark that they did not reach until their seventh game last year.  Arcadia, on the other hand, has picked up three early victories after going winless in 2017, making them one of the biggest surprises of the 2018 season thus far.

“Starting off the season 3-0 has done a lot for the players mentally,” Arcadia head coach Kerry Taylor said about his team’s hot start.  “It has grown their confidence and their understanding that they are a good football team.”

Arcadia’s run game has been a huge factor in the team’s early success.  Led by junior running back Paxton Earl and junior quarterback Kadin Beler, the Titans have put up at least 200 yards on the ground in all three of their games, including a 383-yard performance against Coronado in their season opener.  Combine that with the big play ability of Beler, who is currently averaging 17.4 yards per completion, and it's a balanced offense that can hang points on anyone.

“They have some excellent athletes whom we must be aware of at all times,” Saint Mary’s head coach Tom Brittain said.  “They are also playing with a great deal of confidence, so limiting the number of plays that go for big yards is essential.”

“Offensively we have been able to move the football and score some points,” Taylor said.  “I believe the reason for that is the players understanding their assignments and executing on the field.  The coaching staff has done a really good job designing plays to put our players in the best position to go out and be successful, and the players have gone out and won the one-on-one battles.”

Saint Mary’s may be up to the task of stopping Arcadia’s explosive offense, however, as their defense put up an impressive showing in their win against Marcos de Niza last weekend.  Led by senior middle linebacker Jessie Parada-Gonzales, whom Brittain cited as a key contributor, the Knights defense only allowed 14 points to Marcos de Niza and held their good running attack to only 43 yards on 19 carries.

“We did a really good job stopping [Marcos de Niza’s] running game by rallying to the football and gang tackling,” Brittain said.  With the exception of one 62-yard pass reception, we didn’t give up any big plays.”

Limiting big plays will be essential for the Knights in this one as well, as doing so will give their offense some breathing room against an Arcadia defense that has had some respectable performances in its own right.

“Saint Mary’s has a very solid defense, they do a lot of things well,” Taylor said.  “We have to study their tendencies, find the holes in the defense and attack them there.  It’s going to come down to our players making plays and executing their assignments.”