Myers contributes as Judge defeats Penn Charter
As well as things turned out yesterday, don't expect Nick Myers to keep missing 2 days of football practice every week.
As well as things turned out yesterday, don't expect Nick Myers to keep missing 2 days of football practice every week.
"No way," he said. "That's it for that. One-time thing."
Myers, a 5-10, 170-pound senior, serves Father Judge High as a shared-time running back and full-time cornerback. This week he found, well, that suffering from a fever and swollen glands is not as bad as it's cracked down to be.
"I was actually in school on Tuesday," Myers said, "but then I started feeling bad, and they let me go home. I missed the whole day Wednesday and that had me thinking, 'Will I be watching someone else this week?'
"But when I made it back into school [Thursday] and came to practice, I was pretty happy when I heard coach Koch [Bill, guides the defensive backs] tell me, 'Go get in your spot. It's yours, right?' Luckily, they didn't Kevin Kolb me."
As the visiting Crusaders downed Penn Charter, 27-10, in a non-league game Friday, Myers made strong contributions on each side of the ball. Aside from turning seven carries into 79 yards and two touchdowns, he made two interceptions (of three in the fourth quarter), broke up four other passes and served as quite the blanket on a dangerous wideout, Daryl Worley.
Worley made five catches for 80 yards, but most of his production (4-59) came on the Quakers' first two series. Before Operation Lockdown.
"We weren't playing man starting off," Myers said. "But then coach Koch said for me to stick him for the rest of the game. He made one catch over the middle on me, but I thought I did a good job.
"He was taller [at 6-2], yes, but I didn't think about that. I liked the challenge. I made sure to bump him coming off the line. To get a good piece of him. Our linemen were putting on good pressure, and [that quarterback] couldn't throw the ball too easily."
The quarterback is John Loughery, first cousin of the Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan. Though Loughery did pass for 252 yards, he hit fewer than 50 percent of is passes (16-for-37) and was picked off five times. Andrew Tuscano, Connor Donohoe and Tim Mills notched the other interceptions, and Mills returned his for the game's final TD, a 60-yarder with 7:21 remaining.
Myers had expanded Judge's lead to 20-10 on a 2-yard run 3 minutes earlier.
"Our tight end, Tom Mucerino, made a great block, and I walked into the end zone," Myers said. "Didn't even get touched."
Of his first TD, a 34-yarder, Myers said, "Our fullback [Tuscano] took care of the linebacker, and I made a cut to the left. One dude was there, but I ran him over."
Myers shared RB duties with Raul Quinones (25-176).
"We kept going back and forth, in and out," Myers said. "It was hot, and we were both going two ways, so on offense, each guy would go until he needed a rest.
"I was feeling it today. Having trouble catching my breath sometimes. After I got my last interception, I was having major cramping in my left calf."
Connor Foley nailed field goals of 29 and 33 yards for Judge. PC's scores came from Loughery on a 1-yard sneak and Shane Carr on a 27-yard field goal. Joey Sankey produced 91 yards on six receptions.
Myers, who lives near Rowland and Brighton in Mayfair, has not yet generated college interest, but he'd gladly listen. Eventually, he pictures becoming an electrician.
"I have a couple of uncles who are in the union," he said. "I like electronics and things like that." *
