Statesville Christian's stingy 'D' pitching shutouts
Two games. Eight quarters. Ninety-six minutes.
Zero points.
Statesville Christian School enters Week 3 of the high school football season having not allowed its opponents to score. Meanwhile, the Lions’ offense turned those shutouts into running-clock blowouts. Christ the King of Huntersville lost 72-0, and traditionally strong Metrolina Christian of Indian Trail fell 49-0 last week.
“They have the desire to be the best they can be,” Statesville Christian head coach Angelo Cox said. “It has a great deal to do with being aggressive.”
The Lions (2-0) are light years ahead of where they were this time last season, their first in program history. They yielded a combined 79 points and scored only 23 during an 0-2 start.
Strong safety B.J. Lomax touted the increased presence of Alex Wilson at defensive end and noted their emphasis on detail. He said a handful of his defensive teammates attend voluntary film study before school.
Lomax feels the unit is working well together. Defensive lineman Kevin Dewalt echoed that sentiment.
“Everybody’s all in,” Dewalt said. “It’s not about one person. Once we make a mistake we try to make up for it, no matter who made it, on the next play. It’s on all of us to do something about it.”
There have been few miscues to speak of so far. Statesville Christian, the fourth-ranked NCISAA Division 3 team in the state, has intercepted three passes with DaQuann Shepard returning his for a touchdown.
The lopsided scores don’t totally reveal the extent of the defensive dominance. Christ the King’s offense never crossed midfield. Metrolina got a sniff of Lions territory, but that’s it.
The shutout streak, while a badge of honor, is not the most important thing, Cox said.
“We’ve got some really humble kids,” Cox said. “They just go out and play. They’re only focused on doing their jobs. We’ve seen what the end result of that is.”
No one believes it’s realistic to go the entire season without surrendering a touchdown.
Two games. Eight quarters. Ninety-six minutes.
Zero points.
Statesville Christian School enters Week 3 of the high school football season having not allowed its opponents to score. Meanwhile, the Lions’ offense turned those shutouts into running-clock blowouts. Christ the King of Huntersville lost 72-0, and traditionally strong Metrolina Christian of Indian Trail fell 49-0 last week.
“They have the desire to be the best they can be,” Statesville Christian head coach Angelo Cox said. “It has a great deal to do with being aggressive.”
The Lions (2-0) are light years ahead of where they were this time last season, their first in program history. They yielded a combined 79 points and scored only 23 during an 0-2 start.
Strong safety B.J. Lomax touted the increased presence of Alex Wilson at defensive end and noted their emphasis on detail. He said a handful of his defensive teammates attend voluntary film study before school.
Lomax feels the unit is working well together. Defensive lineman Kevin Dewalt echoed that sentiment.
“Everybody’s all in,” Dewalt said. “It’s not about one person. Once we make a mistake we try to make up for it, no matter who made it, on the next play. It’s on all of us to do something about it.”
There have been few miscues to speak of so far. Statesville Christian, the fourth-ranked NCISAA Division 3 team in the state, has intercepted three passes with DaQuann Shepard returning his for a touchdown.
The lopsided scores don’t totally reveal the extent of the defensive dominance. Christ the King’s offense never crossed midfield. Metrolina got a sniff of Lions territory, but that’s it.
The shutout streak, while a badge of honor, is not the most important thing, Cox said.
“We’ve got some really humble kids,” Cox said. “They just go out and play. They’re only focused on doing their jobs. We’ve seen what the end result of that is.”
No one believes it’s realistic to go the entire season without surrendering a touchdown.
