FRIARS HIT HALF-CENTURY AGAINST TITANS

By Robert Balajadia

Player of the game De’Aundre Cruz ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns

The young Tiyan Titans got their second dose of high school football Saturday night, served up by the speedy offense and hard hitting defense of the FD Friars at the JFK field. It quickly became a one-sided contest after the 1st quarter with FD hitting the half-century mark while blanking the Titans in the process 50-0.

Friar sophomore running back De’Aundre Cruz had a rough season opener fumbling the ball twice in a win over the JFK Islanders last weekend, but Saturday was a different story. It took Cruz just one handoff, the first play for the game, to break loose for a 54-yard score, weaving his way through the Titans defense.

“After a game I do bad I get myself down, and I really wanted to come out this week and show what I can do,” admitted Cruz. “Last week affected me a lot and I came out tonight and played my hardest.”

The Friars second score came courtesy of running back Christian Toves after forcing the Titans to punt their first offensive series.

After another Tiyan punt, Cruz’ second running attempt was a flaring 12-yard run, followed by his third carry which turned into a 28-yard touchdown run to go up 21-0.

Friars safety Bryton Cepeda then picked off Titans quarterback Kobe Quiambao on the next trip to set up a 24-yard touchdown score for Jake Benito to take a whopping 28-0 lead in the 1st quarter.

Friars tight end Cole Merfalen is one of the teams main targets in the passing game, but he’s also an important cog in the run game with his power blocking. The Friars scored five rushing touchdowns from four different ball carriers amassing 307 total yards on the ground.

“Our strength is our running game, we are a running team. At the end of the day, they aren’t the only ones who have the glory, we all do,” said Merfalen.

Handling Issues

The Friars put up 50 points but committed seven fumbles in the game after committing five in the opener against JFK, which gives FD a combined total of double-digit fumbles after two weeks of play.

“Our coach always tells us to not to let our mistakes ruin our game and always come back stronger. We’re going to be going through a lot of our mistakes during practice this week,” said Merfalen on the turnover issues.

A moment of panic for the Friars as the Titans force a fumble. (photo by Daniel Paran)

The ‘Maroon Wall’ of the FD defense were dominant once again keeping the Titans under 75 yards of net offense. FD forced Tiyan into four fumbles and one interception while also collecting two safeties from linebacker Joaquin Mesa. Mesa also led the team with seven tackles along with one fumble recovery.

For the Titans, 2015 is their first taste of high school football. It’s a familiar feeling to Cruz who made the transition from youth to high school football just last year.

“They’re an alright team for having just played together for the first time. They will get better by just being on the field this season and they will get better year after year,” said Cruz.

The Friars will host the Guam High Panthers next weekend with both teams holding a (2-0) record. The Titans (0-2) will try and get their first win next Saturday against the Okkodo Bulldogs (0-2), who have still yet to take the field this season.

Other Scores

GW 12, Southern 0

PHOTO GALLERY:

The Friars raise their helmets in triumph as they take the win over the Titans in dominating fashion. (photo by Daniel Paran)

Quarterback Kobe Quimbao fakes a pass and runs the ball himself to gain some ground for the Titans. (photo by Daniel Paran)

#52 Gage Toves defends his teammate to help secure a path for him. (photo by Daniel Paran)

Titans’ Anton Mesa almost makes it past the Friars’ defense for a few yards. (photo by Daniel Paran)

Friars’ Michael ‘Jake’ Benito is left wide open as he makes his way through the side for an easy touchdown. (photo by Daniel Paran)

Bryton Cepeda of the Friars intercepts a pass and jukes the Titans’ intended reciever. (photo by Daniel Paran)