Boy, that escalated quickly.
I went to Crest on Friday, Sept. 25, for the Chargers’ game against Tampa Bay Tech, and I can say that no one needs a good-luck charm more than the Chargers. The game was a blowout as early as the first quarter, and Tech did pretty much whatever it wanted to do throughout all four quarters.
By the time I got to Dover, the score was already 14-0. The Titans then blocked a punt and recovered the ball. It set them up at the goal line for a quick score.
In the second quarter, an early Crest fumble by the goal line put Tech up, 28-0. Following a huge punt return by Brandon Stewart-Frazier — easily the highlight of the night for Crest, besides the late touchdown pass — Tech picked off Tate Whatley on the ensuing play and took it to the house for six.
That’s when everyone in the stadium realized Tech wasn’t trying for good sportsmanship in this game. No matter what is said after it’s over, you’re not being courteous when you’re going for two-point conversions with a 30-plus point lead in the first half.
Tech finished its offensive efforts for the night with a field goal at the 3:20 mark and didn’t try to score again. The way its offense looked, it could have eclipsed 50 points, even with the running clock.
As I mentioned earlier, Crest didn’t let itself get shut out: at the 2:22 mark in the fourth, Whatley hooked up with tight end Austin Eldridge for six points. They couldn’t get the extras, however, so the final score sat at 39-6.
It’s getting harder and harder to write and talk about the Chargers these days. Last year’s squad only picked up one win, but those kids were also in a lot more of their games — figuratively speaking — and generally hung in there for longer.
This year, Crest has really only looked like its 2014 self in the loss to Middleton.
It’s absolutely fair to chalk that up to being handed a much tougher schedule this year. The only game left on the Chargers’ schedule that, at this point, looks as viable as the Middleton game is Bloomingdale on Friday, Oct. 30. (Given how Bloomingdale looked last year, that’s not something I thought I’d be writing right now.) This would be a tough slate for any team in the Tampa Bay area, and everyone knew that going into this season.
From an outside perspective, it’s tough to pinpoint to any one thing. There’s talent on both sides on the ball here, if a little raw, but there are absolutely kids on this team who could start at other schools in the area.
If Crest is trying to figure out how to stop this slide now, it won’t have to look there.
There was no need to address the head coaching position, as a rebuilding project of this scale can’t be accomplished in just one and a half seasons. However, head coach John Kelly was removed from his position earlier this week. I’m not entirely sure what the act of removing a coach mid-season solves, especially in a winless year when a lot of players still need to develop, so I believe Crest made a bad judgment call. Kelly is a good coach – he just needed more time, as I wrote before the season in the 2015 Football Guide.
With that said, I’m wishing interim head coach Jim Peaden the best of luck with this project. The school is expecting to find a new head coach in January, whether they end up going with Peaden, another current Crest coach or someone from outside the program. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the school’s decision around that time.
I can’t explain exactly what it is with this team right now because, like many of you, I don’t know where it begins.
You can’t accuse the program of not trying to put a good squad together, as it’s hired some good assistant coaches to develop these kids.
You can’t pin it all on the senior departures, as the Chargers have addressed several of the holes left by graduated seniors.
And you can’t pin it all on a lack of talent.
But if you’re a Chargers fan, you’re still left looking for an explanation. What’s going on?
Note: this post contains an update from the morning edition regarding John Kelly’s removal from the position of head football coach.