Juniors Jack Walsh and Landyn Vidourek each scored two touchdowns and senior Bobby Young returned one of his two interceptions for another score as the Rams shook off what coach Nick Yordy considered to be a slugging start to improve to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the division.
“I had a feeling we’d be OK once we got going and got into it,” Yordy said. “Maybe it was playing on Saturday night. Changes in routine can affect high school kids. Once we settled in, we were rolling.”
Besides facing a Badin team Chaminade Julienne coach Marcus Colvin called the “best in the league,” he said the Eagles had to overcome missing three days of practice caused by a positive COVID-19 test in the school. That kept senior defensive back Jason Ward from getting treatment for a finger injury, forcing him to miss the game.
“It was a tough week,” Colvin said. “We knew it would be a challenge. We had energy at the start, but we lost it in the second quarter. You could see it in their body language. We had a lot of adversity.”
The Rams limited the Eagles to 88 rushing yards while gaining 223. Walsh carried the ball seven times for 76 yards and his first two career varsity touchdowns.
“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “I was more into the flow of the game. I wasn’t thinking about it. I was just having fun.”
Badin’s defense produced four takeaways while helping the Eagles slip to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the GCL Co-Ed.
McNicholas improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the division with a 28-7 win over Carroll on Friday night.
The Rams scored on three consecutive possessions to take a 20-0 lead into halftime after Chaminade-Julienne took an early 7-0 lead. Junior Kenyon Owens scored on a 61-yard catch-and-run from junior quarterback Lucas Chandler to give the Eagles the lead with 6:01 left in the first quarter.
Badin responded with a 10-play, 65-yard drive capped by Walsh’s four-yard scoring run with 1:54 left in the first quarter.
Sophomore Braedyn Moore took a pitch and scored on a 19-yard run for a 14-7 lead with 9:38 left in the second quarter. Following Young’s interception of a bobbled Chaminade-Julienne pass, the Rams put together a nine-play, 53-yard drive that Vidourek completed with a one-yard quarterback sneak and a 20-7 Badin lead with 3:38 left in the first half.
Senior Jayden Carter recovered an Eagle fumble and senior David Schweinfuss also had an interception for Badin, both in the first half.
Another potential touchdown was wiped out by a Badin holding penalty on Vidourek’s 55-yard pass down the left sideline to Walsh with no time left on the clock.
The Rams needed just 97 seconds after halftime to make it 26-7 on Walsh’s second touchdown on a 35-yard run. Vidourek added a five-yard scoring run on the next possession and Young returned his second interception of the game 31 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the Eagles' next possession to start the running clock with 6:33 left in the game.
“They hit us,” Walsh said. “We hit back harder – a lot harder.”
Timekeeping reverted back to normal after Eagles junior Walter Sledge Jr. scored on a 1-yard run with 9:12 left in the game.
Badin is scheduled to play at Fenwick while Chaminade Julienne is due to play McNicholas on Friday.
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