Can Paraclete defeat a top-tier opponent?
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Supposedly, there were at least a few guys out there who actually thought Paraclete would lose Friday night to Monrovia. Well, if you saw my picks, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that my alma mater won, but the Spirits’ 23-20 Mid-Valley Division quarterfinal triumph wasn’t quite the shellacking I thought it could be.
Even though they benefited immensely from RB Jerry Kelly‘s 121-yard, two-TD performance, the Spirits are going to have to do more if they want to beat a very strong Bishop Diego team in Saturday’s semifinal. I still like the Spirits to make the finals (even though I have Santa Clara beating them, again), but they need to find more consistency on offense. A repeat performance of its first-round victory over Sierra Vista would do the trick (easier said than done, though).
Still, can the Spirits beat an elite-level opponent? True, Olympic League cohort Cerritos Valley Christian has turned out to be one of the best teams in the division. However, Paraclete’s nonleague schedule included just one postseason-bound team (Brentwood) while league play consisted of blowouts over Valley Christian and Village Christian.
There’s no doubt the Spirits have accomplished a lot. Nevertheless, they still need to prove they’re more than just the only 12-win team in the region.
- Austin Knoblauch
