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Comets coast to seventh straight win
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Comets coast to seventh straight win
By TONY LANGE
In last Friday night's 27-0 victory over Brunswick, Solon found the end zone twice in the first quarter, but both plays were called back on penalties.
The Comets' offense failed to score the entire first half. It was the first time that happened this season. The Comets gained 84 total yards during those 24 minutes of action.
On the other side of the ball, the Comets' defense was able to post its second shutout of the season, which allowed Solon to improve to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the Northeast Ohio Conference Valley Division.
Solon (7-0, 2-0) is second in the computer rankings behind Glenville.
The Comets had some big penalties that they have to eliminate if they want to play championship football, head coach Jim McQuaide said.
"That's totally, totally our concentration right now," he said. "We had about five series in the first half where we had a second-and-25 or a third-and-25. We don't have plays on our play sheet for third-and-25."
Through week seven, Solon has 47 penalties for 391 yards.
The Comets put themselves in those positions and they needed to do a better job of managing the down and distance, McQuaide said.
"We did in the second half," he said. "We responded and did a much better job of that."
Leading rusher Kyle Hammonds punched in a five-yard touchdown run at the 8:45 mark in the third quarter. Hammonds rushed for 63 yards on 16 carries for the game. He is averaging 8.3 yards per carry this season.
Later in the third quarter, Pat Kramer spotted A.J. Hicks in the back of the end zone for a touchdown pass. It was Hicks' fourth reception of the season and his second touchdown catch. Both have come from Kramer.
Passing plays don't have predetermined receivers, McQuaide said.
"When we call a pass play, I couldn't tell you who the ball is going to," he said. "There are different options on each play, and the job of the quarterback is to find the guy with the best chance to make the completion."
Kramer was six of 10 passing for 54 yards.
Starting quarterback Chris Humphrey also had a good passing night. He was six of eight for 62 yards. The defensive back also scored on an 18-yard interception return in the second quarter.
As for his running game, Humphrey added 69 yards on six carries. He has 39 rushes this season and is averaging 10 yards per carry.
The top scorer for the Comets against Brunswick (4-3, 1-1) was kicker Alex Knight with nine points. Six came in the fourth quarter on 22- and 38-yard field goals. He is the team's third top scorer with 48 points.
Knight is one of those guys who shows up to practice ready to work, McQuaide said.
"He works very hard," McQuaide said. "Last year was his first year, and he played JV, and he worked really hard in the winter time kicking into the net in the gym. He's another example. When you work at it and you take practice seriously, you'll get better and that's what he's done."
One Comet who is under-recognized on the statistic sheets is senior lineman Regis Palmer, McQuaide said. He played junior varsity in 2009. This year, he has started varsity in every game.
"He would be a guy that I think a lot of people wouldn't notice, but he's extremely valuable to our team and what he's done up to this point," McQuaide said. "He's been one of the leaders of the offensive line."
Leading the receiving department last week was Cory Stuart with three receptions for 18 yards and Tres Barksdale with two receptions for 39 yards.
Nick Davidson led the defense with 16 tackles.
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