Sports
Samurai spread scoring wealth, blank Eagles in prep for Yokota
Stars and Stripes
October 7, 2016
Matthew C. Perry RB Caeleb Ricafrente leans toward the end zone between two Robert D. Edgren defenders. (Caitlin Blount/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Matthew C. Perry RB Caeleb Ricafrente leans toward the end zone between two Robert D. Edgren defenders. (Caitlin Blount/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Matthew C. Perry defender John Keith wraps up Robert D. Edgren QB Patrick Sledge. (Caitlin Blount/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Matthew C. Perry defender Garrett Macias wraps up Robert D. Edgren running back Matt Keating on Friday, Oct. 7, 2016. (Mike Dobson/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Matthew C. Perry running back Dylan Ernst outruns the pack into the end zone for a fourth-quarter touchdown run Friday, Oct. 7, 2016. (Mike Dobson/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Touchdown! Matthew C. Perry senior Caeleb Ricafrente runs into the end zone Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, for one of two TDs he scored against Robert D. Edgren, giving him a Pacific-leading 18 on the season. (Mike Dobson/Special to Stars and Stripes)
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — Caeleb Ricafrente continues to pile up the points for Matthew C. Perry, but coach Frank Macias knows his Samurai can’t beat the likes of defending DODEA-Japan champion Yokota on his own.
So, they spread the wealth, getting touchdowns from four players as Perry stayed unbeaten against Division II foes, blanking Robert D. Edgren 48-0 on Friday at Edgren’s newly turfed Eagle Field.
“We can’t become a one-person team,” Macias said. The Samurai have to beat Yokota on Oct. 22 if they’re to host the Far East D-II title game.
“We have to get contributions from across the board, Macias said. “It’s going to take a team effort to beat Yokota and host. And that’s what we’re working on.”
The Samurai turned to Dylan Ernst, who ran for 63 yards and two touchdowns on six carries, Zach Brown, who added two touchdowns and 41 yards on 11 tries, and Ethan Peterson, who also scored on the ground.
Ricafrente, the Pacific’s touchdown leader, rushed eight times for 78 yards and a TD, and caught a 27-yard scoring pass. That gives him 18 total touchdowns for the season.
The Samurai defense held the Eagles — playing their first game in three weeks — to just 39 yards.
Mason Graydon had four tackles, four sacks and a fumble recovery; John Keith had seven tackles and two sacks; and Lewis Billups had six tackles and two sacks for the Samurai.
“In my five years here, I have never had a team this hungry,” Macias said. “We’re a hungry team. But we’re trying to get better. We have to shore things up. Our target is squarely on Yokota.”
The game ended with a running clock, which was triggered with 4:34 left in the second quarter.
Edgren was taking the field for the first time since the team ran too low on players Sept. 17 at Perry, a game the Eagles lost 23-0. They also had to forfeit the next week’s game at Yokota.
But they stuck with it, Edgren coach Jeremy Sanders said, bringing 14 players to the field Friday. Although the verdict was lopsided, Sanders said, he saw plenty of positive takeaways.
“Even with our low numbers, everybody contributed and we’re very proud of that effort,” Sanders said, citing drives that came up just short late in the first half and late in the contest.
“We’re playing day by day, game by game. We accomplished Step One. Now, it’s on to the next game,” Sanders said.
That next game is on Friday at home against Yokota; kickoff is at 7 p.m. The Samurai next travel to Zama American for a 7 p.m. Friday game.
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