General | August 29, 2019 | 22:11
In a day and age when offenses reign supreme at every level of football, Utica Eisenhower and Birmingham Brother Rice proved otherwise in the opening game of the 2019 Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic. The Warriors prevailed, 7-0, in the first-ever clash between the two squads.
Each team came into the contest equipped with a senior passer that saw significant playing time a season ago (Greg Piscopink for Brother Rice and Blake Rastigue for Eisenhower), yet the game ended up being the Merriam-Webster definition of a "defensive battle."
Neither side scored until the 5:18 mark in the first half, which is when Piscopink punched it in on a 7-yard keeper. Fellow Warriors senior Patrick O'Hara set up the score with two consecutive runs of nine yards each.
Piscopink finished the half 7-of-11 for 62 yards. His favorite target throughout the half: sophomore wide receiver Cole Lacanaria, who had four catches for 40 yards going into halftime.
Rastigue and the Eagles were never able to muster up anything offensively. Rastigue was limited to 78 passing yards, while the Eagles were limited to 74 total yards on 51 plays, including -4 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, Piscopink, Brother Rice's Legacy Football Most Outstanding Player, finished with 168 total yards, including 139 passing yards. He was helped out all game long by his squad's strong defensive effort.
"My defense was amazing today," Piscopink said. "I don't know what their average yards allowed were, but I know that our defense gave it their all on every play and made sure that they got to the ball on every single play, no matter where the ball was."
Junior linebacker Ohannes Sarkisian and senior safety Drew Randall each finished with four tackles for the Warriors, while Anthony Cardamone, Eisenhower's Legacy Football MOP, led all Eagles with eight tackles.
"We know we have to do better executing in the red zone, but I think this win definitely has the potential of instilling more confidence in my teammates and I as the season progresses," Piscopink said.
