Knoch plows over Derry
JEFFERSON TWP — Size — and speed — matters.
The size of Knoch receiver Jim Larrimer and the speed of running back Cody Milsom overwhelmed the Derry Area Trojans Friday night as the Knights cruised to a 58-7 victory in their football home opener.
After holding Derry to three-and-out on its first possession, Knoch (2-1, 1-1) wasted little time scoring first. On a fourth-and-2 at the Trojan 11, the Knights fed their leading rusher Milsom, who plowed through a hole on the right side of the line and crossed the goal line.
The first of his three touchdowns on the night set the stage for a big night on the ground, as the Knoch junior amassed 154 yards on only 21 carries.
“I love watching that stuff. I love a muddy field,” Knights coach Mike King said, who saw mud flying on every play after heavy rains the past two days.
“I love a running back with the No. 5 on. We've had some great No. 5s around here, and it just gives me goose bumps watching him run the football. That's the way we like to do it.”
But it's not the only way the Knights managed to score on this night.
Throughout the first quarter of the game, Knoch quarterback Dan Farinelli kept finding the mismatch in the secondary with the 6-foot-4 Larrimer lined up against much smaller cornerbacks.
In the second quarter, backed up against its own goal line, Farinelli looked downfield for some help from Larrimer. The quarterback heaved the ball from his own end zone, and Larrimer snatched the ball from over a defender's head and raced down the sidelines for a 97-yard touchdown reception.
“I'm really happy for that kid,” King said. “He had knee surgery and missed his whole junior year. That may be the longest pass from scrimmage in Knoch history or it's pretty close.”
With a commanding lead most of the game, the Knights were able to attack the high-tempo offense of the Trojans. Derry (0-3, 0-2) struggled to generate any big plays from the passing game and rushed for only 11 yards on 25 carries for the game.
Knoch also harassed senior quarterback Kyle Holmes for most of the game, consistently getting pressure and knocking him to the ground. Holmes left the game in the third quarter after taking a big hit on the sidelines. Derry coach Al Gaiardo said Holmes should be ready for the team's next game.
“We had opportunities, especially in the first half, and on the first play of the game we had a chance for a touchdown if the kid caught the ball,” Gaiardo said. “We had a chance with a couple balls on the ground, if we got them maybe we had a chance. But our kids played hard.”
Unlike Derry, Knoch capitalized on most of its chances and scored touchdowns on six of its final seven drives. The Knights dominated the line of scrimmage, totaling 554 yards of offense while allowing only 117. Larrimer scored twice and finished with 149 yards receiving.
But while getting their first conference win in impressive fashion is nice, King knows the Knights have plenty of roadblocks standing in their way.
“I just got done telling the kids our work is yet to come,” he said. “No disrespect to Derry, but we've got some heavy hitters coming up on the schedule.”
