Shamrocks Thump North Adams-Jerome 44-6

On a brisk 42 degree and cloudy Saturday afternoon, the Shamrocks of St. Patrick School started their 2017 play-of run by soundly defeating the Rams of North Adams-Jerome.

SPS junior QB Tanner Lawson put the Shamrocks on the board first when he scampered for a seven-yard touchdown run behind the right side of the Shamrock line with 5:08 left in the first quarter. The Shamrocks were unsuccessful on the two-point conversion.

Sophomore running back Ned Smith got the second Shamrock score when he broke through the Ram defense for a touchdown run. The two-point conversion pass was no good, and the Shamrocks led 12-0 with 9:13 remaining in the 2nd quarter.

Senior RB Isaiah Smith was the next Shamrock to score when he sprinted for a 34-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion pass from Lawson to senior Colin Cook was good, putting the sore at 20-0

The Shamrocks just kept the offensive train chugging along when Lawson connected with senior Will Simon for a 27-yard touchdown pass with 4:39 until halftime. The two-point conversion failed, and St. Pats led 26-0.

On the ensuing kick-off, Simon was successful in kicking and recovering the onside kick, setting the Shamrocks up with fantastic field position once again, but they were unable to put the ball in the end zone.

The Rams got the ball with one last shot for the first half, and they did not squander the opportunity. In probably their best offensive series of the game, North Adams-Jerome was able to get some momentum of their own, and finally got on the scoreboard when junior quarterback Kyle Schmitt connected with junior Robbie Jackson for a 60+ yard touchdown with 21 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter. The two-point try failed, and the half ended SPS 26, NAJ 6.

Shamrock Ned Smith started the scoring in the second half when he got his second touchdown of the game with a 30 plus yard run with 9:46 left in the 3rd. The conversion failed and the Shamrock extended their lead to 32-6.

The Rans were unable to get their offense back on track, while the Shamrock defensive line rarely gave NAJ quarterback Schmitt much time to even try to get a pass off.

The Shamrock offense just kept on moving right along. Isiah Smith got his second TD of the game when he rushed for 32-yard to the end zone with 7:30 left in the 3rd. The PAT attempt by Jeff Davlin was wide right.

With 3:57 remaining in the third quarter, Ned Smith got his third TD of the night when he broke free for a 20-yard scoring run. Lawson scrambled for two but was stopped just short of the line, putting the score at 44-6.

Neither team would see the end zone in the fourth quarter, and the Shamrocks came away with a decisive 44-6 first round victory.

After the game, Shamrock head Coach Patrick Russman said, “I appreciate the effort of the defense. They followed the game plan and executed well. I liked the offensive progress that we had this week. We have got some things to work on yet, so we have got some things to do in practice, but I enjoyed the intensity the kids brought to the game and the defensive effort that we put forth. Finishing runs today was a big thing for us and we got to see that.”

To see the full gallery of images from this game, please visit “The Portland Beacon” Facebook page.

The Shamrocks will move on to face Flint International Academy next week. They defeated Battle Creek St. Philip 36-24 in their round one match-up. This will likely be another Saturday game as the Portland Raiders will be hosting Lansing Catholic on Friday night.