Patchwork Bellarmine-Jefferson football prevails over Crossroads Christian
LA CAÑADA — Late in its eight-man football game Saturday against Crossroads Christian, the Bellarmine-Jefferson High offense was a mix of players out of position with others on the sideline injured.
The Guards entered the nonleague game without their starting quarterback, freshman Rameon Witt, who was knocked out of action the previous week. That forced Bell-Jeff to institute a wildcat offense, with the majority of the snaps going to juniors Paulius Kasteckas and Tomas Butkus.
Butkus was hobbled in the first half and sidelined for good in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. Kasteckas was also knocked out of the game briefly after being brought down with a hard tackle.
Despite the hardships, Bell-Jeff, behind some big plays and defensive stands and a phenomenal effort from Kasteckas, was able to earn a 52-36 victory against the Cougars at Flintridge Prep.
With the victory, Bell-Jeff (2-3) notched two wins in a season for the first time since 2012, when the Guards were 4-7 on the 11-man level.
“This was an important game and we let the kids know that,” Bell-Jeff Coach Fred Martinez said. “That makes us 2-1 in our CIF division, which is Division II. If we lose this game, it would have been very difficult to make the playoffs. This keeps us alive and each week we will be battling to keep that playoff hope alive.
“I think that’s what motivated the kids today and that’s why they came out and played so hard. …We were finally able to put together four quarters of good football and they really grew up today.”
Bell-Jeff received a workman-like effort from Kasteckas, a basketball player who is getting his first taste of organized football. The junior carried the ball 14 times for 208 yards and four touchdowns (four yards, 63, 43 and 49). In addition, Kasteckas returned a kickoff 64 yards to the 11-yard line, setting up another Guards touchdown.
If that wasn’t enough, Witt came into the game for just one play and threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Kasteckas to account for the Guards’ only non-rushing play.
“We just went out, played hard and tried to do our best,” Kasteckas said. “We knew this game was important and we were really focused and we were ready.
“We knew the offense was going to be different, because [Witt] was hurt and he wouldn’t be able to play. So we just worked hard all week to learn what we did today.”
Running their offense out of the wildcat, the Guards passed just once against Crossroads Christian (3-3) and ran the ball 27 times.
“The offense that we ran is something that we do every day in practice,” Martinez said. “We learned that last season when we had so many players getting hurt. In practice, we put players in positions that some people might never think they would be put in. Today, I had a receiver in at running back, I had a lineman being a running back, and we just made due.
“As many years as I’ve been coaching, especially on this level with such a small group, you have to prepare your players to play a variety of positions.”
Both teams came out clicking on offense in the first quarter, combining for 36 points, with the Guards holding a 22-14 lead.
But things got defensive in the second quarter. Bell-Jeff scored the only six points of the stanza on a 63-yard touchdown run by Kaskecks.
The Bell-Jeff defense came up big in the second quarter, stopping the Cougars and forcing them to turn the ball over on downs on drives at the Guards’ 11-, 26- and 31-yard lines.
The Guards went into halftime with a 28-14 lead.
“The defense was very opportunistic today, because it just wasn’t one person,” Martinez said. “What you really had was eight guys out there playing in concert with one another. “
Bell-Jeff increased its advantage to 40-22 after three quarters.
Butkus had eight carries for 85 yards and one touchdown of 24 yards. He also returned a kickoff 78 yards for a score. Bell-Jeff’s James Filmardirosian also returned a fumble 68 yards for a touchdown.
