Christian Brothers overcomes QB injury to shock Woodcreek, 21-14. ‘We got our get-back’
The Christian Brothers Falcons lost their starting quarterback to a broken collar bone on the game’s third snap, fell behind 14-0, had to create an entirely new offense at halftime — and still found a way to stun the team that knocked them out of last year’s playoffs on their home field.
On the night of Woodcreek’s homecoming celebration, no less.
“We lost here 50-14 last year in the playoffs, and they scheduled us on homecoming because they thought they could beat us. And we came in here and shocked them,” Christian Brothers coach Larry Morla said.
The Falcons scored 14 straight points over the first 6 minutes in the third quarter and shut out Woodcreek after halftime to earn a pivotal 21-14 victory that could go a long way in the race for the Capital Valley Conference title. The win moved Christian Brothers to 3-0 in league play and 4-3 overall following a 1-3 start.
“We got our get-back,” said Falcons senior Isaiah Jordan. “That was the main thing coming into this week. (It was) get-back week.”
The night featured elaborate homecoming floats, an energized crowd and a booming firework display at halftime. But it was Christian Brothers’ fill-in at quarterback, Jordan, who brought the explosiveness in a memorable performance on their rival’s territory that he will likely never forget.
Jordan threw a touchdown pass, ran for two more, and had an interception while playing defensive back to catapult his team to victory after junior quarterback Deakon Holden was lost early in the first quarter when he took a big hit from Woodcreek’s star linebacker Brody Krupp.
“We trust him to do anything on the football field. And he proved that he was the best player on the field tonight,” Morla said of Jordan, who’s headed to play defensive back at Air Force next year.
Jordan, who typically plays receiver on offense, was forced to play quarterback and ran the ball on nearly every play, save for the occasional handoff to running backs Jay Cummings or Daniel Kamara. He had consecutive touchdowns on the Falcons’ first two possessions of the third quarter, which both came off Timberwolves turnovers in their own territory.
Then, their defense led by star linebacker Josiah Campbell, who came into the week with more tackles than anyone in the state, shut down Woodcreek to seal the game.
“We call him ‘The Terminator,’” Morla said of Campbell. “No one could block him. No one could block him and he’s on a mission. Any college around here, they’d be lucky to have him. He has no offers right now, but he’s proven he’s one of the best defensive players in the state.”
Falcons run wild after halftime
The long, 20-minute halftime to celebrate homecoming allowed Morla and his staff to scheme up new plays to highlight Jordan’s athleticism and give his team a chance at revenge on the Timberwolves after ending their season on the same field last November.
It led to an array of outside and inside runs from Johnson behind his standout offensive line. He had scoring runs of 1 and 27 yards, and threw a touchdown on a fade route to Armando Ramirez, who also caught a rare long pass from Johnson on a roll out setting up one of the scores.
Woodcreek was also down its starting quarterback, Joey Melendez, who’s been out multiple games with an injury. There was little beyond handing the ball off to Krupp that the Timberwolves could do against the Falcons’ inspired defense.
“Our defense keeps us in games,” Morla said.
The Falcons have won three straight, including stirring victories against Inderkum and Vista del Lago to move into first place in the Capital Valley Conference. Next they play at Ponderosa.
Woodcreek will look to bounce back with back to back road games upcoming against Vista del Lago and Inderkum.
