by Brian Turrel
“…And in our victories too,” goes the line from the Bishop Ward school song, but the pep club usually sings it ironically, especially during football season.
Not this Friday.
Bishop Ward won a resounding 28-6 season-opening victory over the Sumner Academy Sabres at Schlagle Stadium. The grandstands were packed and evenly divided between the schools, giving the event a fun atmosphere. At kickoff, the ticket line still stretched around the parking lot.
James Jarrett was the star for the Cyclones, scoring two touchdowns and sustaining offensive drives with his powerful running, including a 65-yard near-touchdown run. Jarrett was most effective running off tackle, bulling his way through would-be tacklers.
Quarterback Christian Stein scored the game’s first touchdown on a quarterback keeper from short yardage in the second quarter. Jarrett made the score 14-0 at halftime with a 2-yard run up the middle.
Antonio Harrison scored the Sabres’ only touchdown of the game, breaking multiple tackles on a 34-yard run. Sumner’s Rickey Brown also used his speed effectively to create offense for the Sabres on sweeps and swing passes.
Christian Stein connected with Chris Galloway for a touchdown pass in the early fourth quarter to extend the Cyclones’ lead to 21-6.
With four minutes remaining in the game, Bishop Ward took over on its own 20. James Jarrett flipped the field with a 65-yard run, setting up his own 2-yard touchdown run a few plays later for the final 28-6 score.
The Sabres flashed plenty of talent, nearly connecting on a few long passes, but also showed the effects of a 672-day layoff, picking up multiple procedure penalties on two different series.
Sumner will start its conference season next Friday with a game at Washington.
Bishop Ward has made a big step forward on both sides of the ball. With the team moving to the Kaw Valley Conference this year, the Cyclones hope for a new era of success for their athletic programs.
Ward will take on the McLouth Bulldogs next Friday at home in a non-conference game starting at 7 p.m.
