Village Christian Runs Through Linfield in 20-0 Win

The Southern Section Division X football playoffs provided sports fans with a bit of a twist Friday night: The Lions were fed to Village Christian.

The Crusaders dominated fourth-seeded Linfield and walked away with a 20-0 quarterfinal victory at Kennedy High.

Next on the calendar: Alpha League rival Montclair Prep, the top-seeded team and Village Christian’s nemesis.

Montclair Prep advanced to next Friday’s semifinals with a 42-0 win over St. John’s on Friday.

“It’s one we’ve been aiming for,” Crusader Coach Mike Plaisance said of next week’s matchup. “I still think they’re the best team in Division X. We’ve always used them as a measuring stick to see where our program is at.”

Usually, Village Christian has come up short.

This season, the Mounties beat Village Christian, 20-7, during league play. It may be a different story this time around if the Crusaders (8-3-1) can run the ball against the Mounties like they did against Linfield (7-4-1).

Led by another standout performance by running back Chad Everett, the Crusaders ran over, under and around the Lions.

Everett gained 198 yards in 35 carries, increasing his season total to 1,027 yards. More than 400 of those yards have come in the past two weeks. With the outcome decided, he was removed from the game midway through the fourth quarter.

A windy night prevented the pass-oriented Lions from airing it out. The Lions kept the ball on the ground, which suited Village Christian. The Crusaders out-gained Linfield 294 yards to 20 on the ground.

Linfield quarterback Richard Hunter was ineffective, completing nine of 26 passes for 89 yards. One pass was intercepted.

“The elements did help us a bit,” Plaisance said.

It didn’t take the Crusaders long to get on the scoreboard, driving 68 yards in four plays. Everett took the game’s first handoff and sprinted 60 yards to the Lions’ eight-yard line.

A 5-foot-4 junior, Everett scored three plays later on a two-yard run over right tackle.

Village Christian scored again in the second quarter on a one-yard sneak by quarterback Mark Vail, who added a two-point conversion on a bootleg.

Village Christian added a Jason Gourson scoring run of eight yards midway through the third quarter.

But Village Christian was far from perfect. Linfield blocked two point-after kicks and two punts by Tristan Grell.

Still, spirits are high among the Crusaders. This season marks the first time the Crusaders have won a playoff game and also marks the team’s first postseason appearance in six years.

Village Christian won its first playoff game by defeating Desert-Inyo League champion Silver Valley, 27-8, last week in the first round.

Freedom League champion Linfield fell Friday and the Alpha League champion Mounties await.