Valley Christian topples Bellarmine in a WCAL football opener
Valley Christian, after a one-win season in 2022, improves to 4-0 with a victory at home over Bellarmine
SAN JOSE – Valley Christian’s defense has been outstanding this season.
A micro example occurred on the first play of Valley’s game against Bellarmine on Saturday. Remy Hernandez, a middle linebacker, sacked Bellarmine quarterback Parker Threatt for a 10-yard loss at the 5 and knocked the ball loose. A Bellarmine player recovered the fumble in the end zone for a safety, and Valley Christian led 2-0 after one play.
Sort of a foreshadowing of what was to come as well as what has happened so far this season.
After finishing 1-9 a year ago, the Warriors improved to 4-0 with a 23-7 victory over the Bells in both teams’ West Catholic Athletic League opener.
“Last year, we were 1-9, and we’re hungry, and we’re starving,” linebacker Lovante Metcalfe said.
Valley Christian has allowed a total of 33 points in those four games, an average of just over 8 points per game.
“I think people will see that we have a lot of really talented players,” defensive coordinator Eric Scharrenberg said. “But even more important than that, they’re buying into a system, a philosophy of how we want to play.” They are also aware that Valley Christian has a strong defensive tradition. We’re always talking about the guys who came before them. They accept the standard of high performance.”
Valley received the free kick after the safety and drove 53 yards in eight running plays, with quarterback Joseph Stephens scoring on a 1-yard run to make it 9-0.
Federico Cobarubio’s sack and Chad Arietta’s interception ended Bellarmine’s next two possessions.
Valley Christian was forced to punt from its own end zone, and the Bells took over at the Valley Christian 23. They only needed one play to score, thanks to a pass from Threatt to Reece McKeever.
At halftime, the score was 9-7, with both defenses dominating. At the half, Valley Christian had 125 yards of offense. Bellarmine had 65 points.
The Warriors went 73 yards in nine plays after taking the second-half kickoff, with Stephens scoring his second touchdown on a 12-yard run.
In the fourth quarter, trailing 16-7, the Bells decided to go for it on fourth-and-one from their own 29. Hernandez stopped McKeever for a 1-yard loss, and Valley needed only 28 yards for the game-winning touchdown, a 4-yard run by Marcel Leggett.
Valley Christian finished with 260 yards rushing after a slow start. Stephens gained 88 yards on eight carries, while Ekiah McLemore gained 81 yards on 14 attempts. Stephens completed 5 of 14 passes for 63 yards.
Bellarmine (1-3, 0-1) has struggled offensively in the early going.
McKeever was a bright spot on Saturday, gaining 54 yards on nine carries and scoring a touchdown on a reception. Despite all of the sack yardage, the Bells only gained 36 yards on 21 carries. Threatt completed 9 of 17 passes for 76 yards.
Bellarmine’s Henry Clark had three tackles for loss. Valley Christian’s Hernandez had two sacks. Edgar Birelas finished with one sack and one tackle for loss.
The defense of Valley Christian will be tested in its next game at Riordan, which defeated St. Ignatius 41-34 earlier Saturday.
“Our defense likes challenges,” Valley Christian coach Mike Machado said.
