ADFC Game of the Week

Randolph 20 - Latin Academy 6

     Two things were evident in our game of the week: neither team was fond of the 10 AM start time, and their may be a very talented and dangerous team residing just outside of Boston.

     Randolph was able to shake off their early morning funk and ride the wave of their talented (and young) backfield en route to a 20-6 win at Schoolboy Field in Boston's historic Franklin Park.

     The first quarter, and much of the first half, featured two teams who seemed to forget they were playing a contact sport. There were five total first downs in the first quarter (four for Latin Academy), and players on both sides seemed to be elsewhere.

     This remained the case until Latin Academy made perhaps their most crucial mistake with a little under 3 minutes to go in the half, a botched punt snap that gave Randolph the ball at their own 9 going in. After 3 straight incomplete passes from sophomore Brandon White, he connected with senior Abel Ducheine on a bootleg to put Randolph up 7-0.

     The second half featured a much more inspired brand of football by both teams. After trading punts, Randolph let loose its backfield, with junior Armani Reed rumbling for a 41 yard touchdown, pushing their lead to 13.

     Latin Academy would cut the lead to 13-7 on a pass from senior Dylan Warfield, but only after two consecutive personal foul calls enabled them to gain 30 free yards.

     Randolph's ground game made sure they would get no closer. Junior Bristan Facey, perhaps the best player on the field, picked up three first downs on ensuing drives, capping it off with a 2 yard touchdown run.

A few things to note...

Latin Academy

• 
  
  LA certainly felt the loss of Justin Miles, arguably their best play maker last year. Miles went down early this year with an ACL injury.
• 
  
  LA quarterback Dylan Warfield won the quarterback war. Despite being pressured by an athletic Randolph defense all day, he showed play making ability by eluding the pressure, knowing when to vacate the pocket, and making good decisions.
• 
  
  The highlight of the first half was without question big Eoin Fogerty's pick to end the second quarter. With seven seconds left, the Randolph pass was tipped high in the air, and the beastly Fogerty was able to track it down and rumble for about 10 yards before being dragged down by a host of Blue Devils.

Randolph

• 
  
  This backfield is loaded. Junior Bristan Facey is a quick, smart runner who shows incredible patience in allowing the play to develop and his blocks to be set. Senior Paris Nathan is a bruiser who can be counted on to pick up 3-5 yards a carry. He is also the Blue Devils most gifted pass rusher. Junior Armani Reed is a big play threat who broke runs of 41 and 36 yards, each time showing his ability to shift gears and accelerate, as well as solid change of direction skills.
• 
  
  The best unit on the field was Randolph's secondary. Saftey Jordan Smith is a smooth runner with a nose for the ball who has been getting his fair share of recruiting interest. Senior Jordan Reed (brother of the aforementioned Armani) is an aggressive corner who showed a willingness to come up and make stops against the run. Rayon Hall is the most intriguing of the bunch. More on him below.
• 
  
  My player of the game honors go to Rayon Hall. Hall picked off two LA passes in the fourth to help thwart promising drives. The first came at the 2:15 mark of the 4^th quarter with LA looking to tie the game. Hall played his deep safety position to perfection, allowing nothing behind him, locating where the quarterback was going with the ball, getting into the passing lane, then returning it 39 yards. His second came at the 0:45 second mark, when he jumped a post route from his safety position. Hall's intangibles are something to be admired. His ball skills are solid. His hips move effortlessly. He reacts aggressively, and quite simply makes plays.
• 
  
  Intriguing prospect at quarterback for Randolph. Brandon White is a strong armed sophomore who took his first varsity snaps last year on Thanksgiving against a high powered Bridgewater-Raynham team. He seems to have progressed nicely thus far, although still very rough around the edges. Take note of this kid. If he stays coachable and continues to progress, he'll be a name you'll become very familiar with very quickly.