YORK — Slow and steady was a winning approach for the Cheverus football team Friday night.
Rilan Smith and Joe Osei each ran for over 100 yards and two touchdowns, and the fifth-seeded Stags’ methodical, clock-killing ground game proved too much for No. 4 York in a 30-12 victory in a Class C South quarterfinal.
Smith ran for 118 yards on 14 carries and Osei gained 107 on 25, as the two consistently found holes behind and around a sturdy offensive line.
“We’ve been doing that all year,” Smith said. “We like to demoralize the defense, and take up as much time as we can.”
The tactic worked to perfection Friday. Cheverus had only six possessions in the game – and only two in the first half – but scored on its first four. The Stags held the ball for over 34 of the 48 minutes, and their first drive lasted over 13 minutes.
“We’re not in a hurry,” Stags Coach Michael Vance said.
York players grew frustrated with their inability to get Cheverus off the field. Wildcats Coach Matt Nelson said they weren’t alone.
“It wears down coaches, it wears down everybody,” York Coach Matt Nelson said. “That’s what their game plan is. That’s what they do.”
York, meanwhile, pushed the pace on offense, needing only 3 minutes and 49 seconds for 11 plays to go from its 36-yard line to the Cheverus 17, but saw the drive stall when the Stags made a stop on fourth and 3.
Cheverus countered with its drive covering 20 plays and taking 13:37 off the clock. The march ended when Smith plunged into the end zone from a yard out for a touchdown with 6:34 to go in the half. A pass from Giovanni St. Onge to Preston Fallon capped the drive with a 2-point conversion and made it 8-0 Cheverus.
York’s hurry-up pace proved more fruitful on its second possession. Brody Gullison ran six times for 54 yards, including a 15-yard run around the left side for a touchdown that brought the Wildcats closer at 8-6 with 4:05 left in the half.
It was enough time for Cheverus. The Stags got a St. Onge pass to Smith for 13 yards, and Smith ran five more times for 49 yards before Osei charged in from 4 yards out for a score with 48.9 seconds left. St. Onge found Fallon again to push the Cheverus lead to 16-6.
Cheverus continued to build the lead, with Osei scoring on a 6-yard run to cap a 61-yard drive to start the second half and make it 24-6. York answered when Gullison (11 carries, 55 yards) took a swing pass, flattened a Cheverus defender and went 73 yards for a touchdown that made it 24-12, but a 19-yard Smith run put the Stags comfortably ahead 30-12 with 1:08 left in the third quarter.
It was a return to form for Cheverus, which dropped its last two games in the regular season.
“We weren’t the underdogs this time, but we really fought out there,” Osei said. “There was so much pent-up emotion, as you could see on the field.”
Vance said his team was eager to turn the page.
“It’s a new season,” he said. “We talk about it that way. … Nothing matters but what’s right in front of us.”
Nelson praised his team’s effort in defeat.
“Our players played as hard as they could,” he said. “They gave everything that they could tonight.”
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