The Sacred Heart Crusaders are going through tough times, as they prepare for Mount Olive Friday night. Injuries have mounted up and the offense has stalled against good competition to go along with other issues inside the program.
Sacred Heart coach Lonny Schraeder said his team is handling the adversity well, though. Winning games is important, but there are other aspects of life he’s trying to instill into his players.
“In the end, it isn’t about winning and losing football games; it’s about raising young men,” he said. “Who goes through life without facing a little adversity? Nobody I know. That’s part of life, it’s part of learning and becoming a man. What do you do when facing adversity? I think we’re doing fine. We had a really good practice (Monday). All we have is ourselves, and we have to keep battling.”
The Crusaders (3-5, 0-3 in Region 4-1A) have dropped their last three games by large margins, but hopes of a second straight playoff appearance are still alive. Sacred Heart will play fellow bottom dwellers Mount Olive (2-7, 1-3) and Salem the next two weeks, then a home game with Stringer concludes the regular season.
A sweep of the final three games and Sacred Heart could find itself back in the 1A playoffs for the second time in program history. However, as coaches tend to do, Schraeder wants to take it one game at a time.
“If we win one game at a time for the next three weeks, we make the playoffs,” he said. “That’s what we’re facing. It’s not what happens to you that makes you, it’s what you do after it happens. That’s the most important part to me. Are we learning from this, are we getting better or will we crumble and fall?”
This week’s opponent, Mount Olive, averages 112 rushing yards a game and just 66 passing yards. Senior quarterback La’Travious McNair has 563 yards with a 36 passing percentage, but the number that makes the Sacred Heart defensive backs’ eye wide are his nine interceptions.
McNair also had a 5-yard per carry average when he runs the ball.
“Their quarterback is a phenomenal athlete,” Schraeder said of McNair. “We played against him last year. You have to pin him up and make sure you take care of him.”
McNair didn’t record any passing statistics last week against Resurrection but instead rushed the ball nine times for 19 yards. Freshman Javeon Gordon assumed the quarterback role last week.
Even though Sacred Heart lost to Lumberton 44-7 Friday, senior Jackson Allen recorded two interceptions, which brings his total to a team-high four. The Crusaders now have 11 picks on the season, and Schraeder hopes his defense can add more this week.
“We have to put pressure on the quarterback,” Schraeder said. “This kid, if he has time to throw, he can complete some passes, so we really have to cover well and put pressure on him. We have to stay in our lanes and make sure he doesn’t escape. To me, that’s the big thing. He can do a lot of freelancing and be a real danger.”
The Mount Olive defense has been reeling lately, but it’s been against good competition. Stringer and Resurrection scored 37 and 42 points, respectively, in the last two games. The Pirates did hold a winless Salem to 16 points, but Lumberton scored 44 points in that matchup.
Sacred Heart has used the wildcat package in the last two games to get the ball in senior Joseph Bishop’s hands more. Sacred Heart saw success with the formation early in last week’s game with Lumberton. Schraeder credited offensive coordinator Drew Dewease for designing the plays, and he plans to use the formation more.
