St. Joe’s defense shuts down Kelvyn Park

ELMHURST— Dominant is a simple way to describe the performance of St. Joseph’s defense in the first half Saturday when the Chargers hosted Kelvyn Park at Elmhurst College.

St. Joseph limited the Panthers to just 42 total yards over the first two quarters, while rolling to a 47-0 victory in Elmhurst.

While the Chargers (1-1) built a 41-0 lead in the opening half, they limited Kelvyn Park to just one completion and allowed the Panthers to cross midfield just twice.

Two of the contributors on the Chargers’ defense have been sophomore outside linebackers Donovan Lee and Kris Reid. The duo combined for 21 tackles and a sack in St. Joseph’s 13-8 Week 1 loss to Elmwood Park.

“They are both outstanding athletes, they play hard all the time,” said Chargers coach Anthony Griffin. “They are two young sophomores that have a really bright future ahead of them at their positions.

“They are humble kids, but they turn it on. They are a little different people on the field sometimes, which is what you need.”

Preparation has allowed the sophomores to mix in well at the varsity level and find success early in the season.

“Coach (Pierre) Walters, our defensive coach, he is getting us right,” said Reid. “He wants us to be consistent on what we are doing, so good coaching and practicing (has helped us).”

Lee and Reid were teammates on the Memorial Park Spartans youth football team, so they have been playing together since sixth grade.

“It feels kind of good to have somebody that I knew (before high school) on the football team with me,” Reid said.

When the Chargers forced a three-and-out on the first series of the game Saturday, they knew they could put together a dominating effort.

“We could tell early,” Lee said. “Their offensive line, they just stood up and we got past them, the whole (defensive) line got in the backfield.

“Last week (against Elmwood Park) they were a bit stronger and we were not playing that hard. But this game we were playing 100 percent.”

• Lee and Reid also played on the Spartans youth football team with running back Armone Elem, a sophomore running back. Elem provided plenty of offensive spark for St. Joseph, including taking the game’s first punt 68 yards for a score to give the Chargers a lead with less than two minutes gone in the first quarter. He would rush for three TDs in the first half, totaling 122 yards on just nine carries.
• It appears that the Chargers will gain a victory by forfeit next week, as their scheduled opponent, St. Francis deSales, has not played a game and reportedly might disband.
• Daniel Matos provided one of the few highlights for Kelvyn Park Saturday, recovering a St. Joseph fumble in the third quarter. He also had a catch for 16 yards.