JV Football vs. Paul VI

JV Football Falls to PVI in Hard Fought 21-14 Loss

By Club Writers Andreas Millradt (class of 2028), Vinny Brinkman (class of 2028),  and Warren Hawthorne (class of 2028)

O’Connell JV football fell to the PVI Panthers at home on Wednesday, Nov. 5, in a tough heavyweight battle. Although they found themselves in a big deficit early, the Knights fought back on a ferocious comeback that fell just short behind a strong passing game and resilient defense. 

The Knights came blazing out of the gate, getting a quick first down off of a run play but then found themselves in a hole quickly on third down. Desperately, quarterback Connor Schied (Class of 2028) threw deep downfield to receiver Alex Clarke (Class of 2028) ,which was caught for a huge gain of 36 yards. O’Connell was unable to build off of this as the drive stalled resulting in a 34 yard field goal attempt that was blocked by the Panthers, keeping it scoreless after the first drive.

Immediately on their opening play from scrimmage, PVI quarterback Alek Madden (Class of 2028) went to a jet sweep to receiver Cooper Ellison, who then made a pass to wide open receiver Kye Leudemann. The defense wasn’t able to catch the speedy Leudemann as he ran the ball for 80 yards to the house resulting in the touchdown on the first offensive play by PVI. The Panthers then went for the two-point conversion after a penalty, setting up an easy QB sneak for Madden, putting the score at 8-0 PVI. 

To start the second drive PVI tried an unexpected onside kick but were unsuccessful, as the Knights recovered it. This drive featured another solid connection from Schied to Clarke once again for 20 yards on 3rd down. The drive resulted in a 30 yard field goal attempt that was again blocked by the Panthers’ Cody Thomas (Class of 2028). The second drive for PVI was similar, including multiple QB draw runs from the explosive Madden, but resulted in a failed fourth down conversion run from the Panthers as the defense persevered. O’Connell’s third drive of the game had no momentum as PVI sacked them multiple times.

PVI started with the ball in the second half. The Knights defense held strong including a huge sack by Kai Molter (Class of 2028) on Panthers quarterback Madden for a loss of seven on third down, forcing a punt. The Knights once again had trouble containing the Panthers defensive line, who were continuously aggressive and forced a fourth down stop.
In the fourth quarter, the Panthers were able to rattle off two touchdowns both on QB runs by an electric Alek Madden to put the score to 21-0 PVI. Despite the deficit, the Knights continued to fight back on the following drive which ended in an incredible Randy Moss style catch by Alex Clarke over the defender which was then taken to the endzone for a 64 yard TD pass. The Knights then went for the two point conversion and successfully converted on a pass to receiver Doug Kelly (Class of 2029) cutting the deficit to 21-8 PVI.  Following a PVI punt, the Knights got the ball back and quickly scored on a pass from Schied to receiver Ryan Padone (Class of 2029) for a 22 yard score. The two-point conversion unfortunately failed, putting it at a one score game, 21-14 PVI. Running out of time, O’Connell attempted an onside kick but was unsuccessful. Madden then kneeled out the clock for the PVI, defending off a furious comeback attempt as the Panthers took the rivalry game 21-14.

The loss ended the Knights season at 4-6 and the Panthers at 6-2. Asked after the game about his team’s season, head coach Calvin Parker said that it had been "extraordinary" and was proud of how his team “didn’t give up today all the way down to the last seconds of the game.” He also added that he loved how “they kept their heads in the game, that mental toughness, that finish attitude, that playing with purpose, playing with energy was what was so impressive to me today.”