'Mental Errors' Plague Clayton in Season-Opening Defeat

The Lutheran North Crusaders started out their fall campaign on a high note with a lopsided 42-14 non-conference win over the at Lutheran North on Saturday afternoon.

The Crusaders jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter behind touchdowns from quarterback Glenn Bradford and wide receiver Anthony Virdure.

“It always helps to come out and get on top first,” Crusader coach Mike Russell said. “We’re proud of the way the kids played. We have a lot to learn and a lot to improve on, but this is a good start.” 

Lutheran North went up 20-0 just four seconds into the second quarter when Bradford passed the ball five yards into the end zone to Virdure. A successful extra point attempt made the score 21-0.

Bradford played a big role in Lutheran North’s successful offense. He scored two touchdowns and connected on 20 of 33 passes for 162 yards.

“He did a nice job today,” Russell said of Bradford’s performance. “This is a brand new offense. Everything is getting called from the sideline, and he has to direct traffic from the huddle. He did a nice job.”  

The Crusaders led 21-0 at halftime. Lutheran North continued to build on its lead on the first series of the third quarter. The Crusaders put together an 11-play, 73-yard drive capped off by a Bradford touchdown pass to Ryan Moore. The touchdown gave the Crusaders a 26-0 advantage. The drive lasted five minutes and 34 seconds.

The Greyhounds showed some life in the third quarter. Chris Daugherty’s 10-yard touchdown run at the 3:34 mark made the score 28-6. Andrew Rudolph was successful in his extra point attempt.

The Crusaders' offense didn’t answer on the next series and failed to even manage a first-down conversion. Clayton started its next possession with good field position on Lutheran’s 44-yard line. Four plays later, wide receiver Jeremiah Camp carried the ball into the end zone to make the score 28-13 at the 1:02 mark.

“We didn’t do things very well,” Clayton coach Scott Weissman said. “We made a lot of mental mistakes. At the beginning of the game, the defense was on the field the entire time. We didn’t move the football. We started moving the football a little bit, but then we started missing tackles and making some mistakes. I’ll have to give them credit for capitalizing on it.”

While the Greyhounds remained silent in the fourth quarter, the Crusaders scored two more times. Bradford scored at the 11:14 mark on a three-yard run and Isaiah Holman scored at the 4:53 mark on a 61-yard run.

The Greyhounds will return to action at 7 p.m. Friday at home against St. Francis Borgia.