Crespi could relate to losing a QB
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When Sherman Oaks Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist left the game with a concussion in the second quarter and the Knights had to go the rest of the way without him Friday night, Crespi could feel their pain.
The Celts (8-2, 3-0) have gone without their star quarterback, Kevin Prince, for virtually the entire season after he went down with a torn anterior-cruciate ligament in his right knee against Birmingham during Zero Week.
The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on Crespi Coach Jeremiah Ross.
‘It was definitely a factor, but it’s as much of a factor for us not having Kevin Prince. It kind of evened the playing field a little bit,’ he said. ‘But I hope he’s good to go next week, I hope he’s OK and everything, and ready to roll.’
The Celts, for their part, have now rolled through a five-game winning streak behind Prince’s back-up, sophomore Bryan Bennett, who has benefited from the presence of plenty of talent around him, particularly 6-foot-7 tight end Joseph Fauria, who caught an 18-yard pass for Crespi’s first touchdown Friday night.
‘You’ve got to respond to adversity, and that’s what they did,’ Ross said of his team, which earned its first victory over Notre Dame (8-2, 2-1) since 1993. ‘They’ve kind of rallied around the young guy.... We just tried to put him in the best position to be successful, and that’s the game.’
No doubt, it was a great game for the visiting Celts, who won the Serra League title over the defending-champion Knights with a well-played 23-3 victory. Check out the game story in the Daily News.
The way Crespi’s defense, lines and special teams played, the Celts probably would have won even if Crist had played the whole time.
‘This is a big rivalry game. This is a team across the freeway, and we just wanted to play for our boy, KP,’ said Jeremiah McKibbins, who wrapped up the Celts’ victory with the final touchdown on a one-yard run with 3:18 to play.
‘This is a huge win, I mean, not just for me, for our whole team, the whole family. We’re like a big family here.’
Fauria whole-heartedly agreed.
‘I can’t even explain my emotions right now. I don’t want to cry, but I’m just so happy,’ he said. ‘Crespi-Notre Dame is the biggest rivalry you’ll see around here. Oh yeah, we know what’s going on. We know what’s going on.’
-- Lauren Peterson