Cardinal Gibbons has little trouble at Cedar Ridge
Magnus Kaikai returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown and later scored on a four-yard gallop as Cardinal Gibbons breezed past Cedar Ridge 50-7 on Friday night in a nonconference football game.
Five different Crusaders scored touchdowns as Gibbons (3-2) roared out to a 15-0 lead and never looked back. Running back Hunter Caro finished with a career high 70 yards on 12 carries.
Wesley Wagner went 5-for-6 for 152 yards and two touchdowns, including a 43-yard strike to Alex Kuzy that broke the game open midway through the second quarter.
Gibbons fullback Brendan Schult opened the scoring with a 1-yard plunge into the end zone after Wanger hit Sean Nalesnik with a 12-yard pass.
The only bright spot of the night for the Red Wolves (2-3) came when quarterback Peyton Pappas threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Liles on a fourth-and-23 with 6:24 remaining in the second quarter. Gibbons responded with a 47-yard touchdown drive that ended with Wagner throwing to James Russo on a 17-yard screen pass – resulting in Gibbons taking a 36-7 halftime lead.
Anton Stoneking threw to Nalesnik for the opening touchdown of the second half to push the Gibbons lead to 43-7.
It was the final nonconference game for both teams. In two weeks, Gibbons faces its first game in the PAC-6 conference against Riverside. Cedar Ridge opens Big 8 Conference play next week at Chapel Hill.
By the numbers
70: Hunter Caro rushed for a career high 70 yards on 12 carries and scored his third touchdown in two games.
2: straight wins for Cardinal Gibbons, and 2 straight losses for Cedar Ridge.
50: The most points scored by Cardinal Gibbons since a 55-14 win Nov. 18, 2013, against Northwood, and the most Crusader points on the road since a 55-14 win at cedar Ridge on Sept. 21, 2012.
They said it
“I felt like our offensive line played well,” said Gibbons Coach Steve Wright. “We have 1-A and 1-B at running back with Dalen (Spruill) and Hunter (Caro). They both played well. We’ve had good play from our quarterbacks all year along, and we had that tonight.”
Highlight Reel
Kaikai picking off a Pappas pass and returning it 90 yards for a touchdown, turning the game into a running clock-level rout.
Unsung Hero
Offensive linemen David Firrincieli and Jack Bowler, who blocked effectively along the right side of the line as Gibbons rushed for 174 yards on 31 carries.
What Worked
The Gibbons depth. Over 70 players dressed, and five scored touchdowns.
Out of Bounds
Gibbons will make history in two weeks by becoming the first Wake County team to play in the PAC-6 Conference. The league has had teams in Durham, Orange, Vance, Person and Granville Counties.
This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 11:14 PM with the headline "Cardinal Gibbons has little trouble at Cedar Ridge."