De La Salle welcomed back Jamarco Jones to its offensive line Friday. He, along with the other members of that group, dominated the second half of its game against St. Laurence to take away a 38-16 Catholic League White victory.
Jones, who is committed to Ohio State, played his first game after recovering from a left shoulder injury.
“The O-line really took over the game in the second half,’’ Meteors coach Dan O’Keefe said. “We were very sloppy and a little flat to start the game. That’s unusual. They usually get up for this game.’’
Jones was a welcome addition at left tackle. But it was the other side of the line that the Meteors (5-1, 2-0) took advantage of in turning the game into a laugher. Vanderbilt recruit A had runs of 85 and 56 yards behind
Aaron Roberts at right tackle for touchdowns that opened the lead to 38-3 late in the third quarter.
Jones, at 6-6, 300 pounds, and Roberts, at 6-6, 295 pounds bookend a line that averages 290 pounds across the front. The unit eventually wore down the much smaller Vikings (3-3, 0-2) in the second half. Roberts will be visiting Syracuse on a recruiting trip in the near future.
“Our line was twice the size of theirs,’’ Wilbon said. “Those are some big boys, and they just wore them down.’’
Wilbon rushed 18 times for 250 yards, with 161 of those yards in the second half.
The turning point in the game came about because of the Meteors defense, which came up with a big play at the end of the first half.
Trailing 14-3, the Vikings faced a third down in their own territory with less than 30 seconds remaining in the half. Quarterback Bob Kelly was sacked by Amir Watts, who also stripped the ball. Kyle Malan picked up the ball and ran to the Vikings 11.
Three plays later, Shelby Spence connected with Bryce Sutherland for a nine-yard touchdown and a 21-3 halftime lead.
“I just ran out of gas,’’ Malan said. “This game was so much fun because I know so many of the guys that play for them.’’
Sutherland had six receptions for 78 yards. Malan added seven tackles to his fumble recovery, along with two sacks and one tackle for loss. Anthony Pierce led the Meteors with 10 tackles. Drew Chavarria had a 39-yard interception return for a score in the second quarter.
For St. Laurence, Kelly finished 13-of-26 for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Mike Gurgone and Matt Sterna each had one touchdown reception.
