The Essex Ravens won the game they needed to Saturday and now they’re gunning for the one they want to win.
The Ravens handed the Cambridge Lions a 34-10 thumping in OVFL varsity football action Saturday in Essex.
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Now, they’ll head north to play unbeaten (4-0) Sault Ste. Marie next Saturday.
“Next week is a big, big game,” Essex coach Glen Mills said. “We have to knock those guys off and London (also 4-0) if we want to finish in first place.
The Ravens, at 3-1, are chasing Sault Ste. Marie and London in the Adams West while the Lions are near the bottom at 1-3.
“We played well as a unit,” running back Darnell Walcott said of victory. “Our defence came up big. A lot of times they had big stops.”
Walcott scored one of the Ravens’ two rushing touchdowns on the night. Tarrance Crawford rushed for one major and quarterback Austin Kennedy threw scoring strikes to Crawford (64 yards), Dylan Whitfield (15 yards) and Thaddeus Stewart (10 yards).
“We came out and got right after them,” Mills said. “We went a little lethargic for a while because it was hot but we turned it on in the second half and that’s what we want. We’ve got to be able to put guys away and finish them off.”
Walcott, a third-year veteran, is still waiting to see his team produce a complete game.
“We haven’t put together 60 minutes to play a full game and until then we haven’t seen our full potential,” the 19-year-old said.
He likes what he’s seen of a multi-faceted offence.
“We’ve got some explosive running backs, receivers who can catch the ball and a quarterback who can scramble for yardage if no one’s open.”
Kennedy found seven different receivers, completing 10 of 15 passes for 200 yards. Crawford and Walcott carried eight times each for 77 and 40 yards.
Matt Paonessa kicked four extra points.
Defensively, the Ravens produced a balanced effort, forcing two fumbles and an interception (by Brad Marsden).
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