Brady Parker of LCC scrambles for rushing yards against Delphos Jefferson on Saturday.
Jackelyn Johnson | The Lima News
LIMA — Delphos Jefferson and Lima Central Catholic met on the gridiron for the first time in a decade on Saturday afternoon at Spartan Stadium, and it was all Thunderbirds once the whistle blew in a 56-0 shutout.
LCC (5-2, 3-1 Northwest Conference) was without senior two-way star Matthew Quatman in the win but Delphos Jefferson (1-6, 0-4 Northwest Conference) couldn’t take advantage as the T-Birds possessed the ball six times in the first half, scored six touchdowns, and defensively, they held the Wildcats to 37 yards of total offense.
“We made some offensive changes this week and our kids really bought in and came out and executed well,” LCC coach Scott Palte said. “We did a really nice job getting off the ball and blocking well for our freshman running backs.”
Michael Quatman, however, was available for LCC on Saturday, and he made his presence known with two first-half interceptions of Jefferson quarterback Luke Rode.
“Michael (Quatman) did a great job today flying around, reading the plays and he made a couple of nice interceptions,” Palte said. “He just needs to keep grinding and it will continue.”
Sophomore quarterback Brady Parker engineered LCC’s run-pass-option offense to near perfection. On the opening drive, he faced a fourth down conversion and calmly fired his first pass of the day 12 yards into the hands of Mylon Cowens in the end zone.
Parker finished 5 of 9 for 137 yards and one touchdown with 53 yards rushing and a touchdown on nine carries.
“Brady did a great job putting the ball where it needed to be and he was good when he ran the ball,” Palte said. “He’s growing as a sophomore and keeps improving as a leader.”
Jaxon White and Michael Quatman each found the end zone on short runs before the Thunderbirds’ freshman backs took over.
Leading 28-0 late in the second quarter, Lima Central Catholic was gifted a possession inside Delphos Jefferson’s 10-yard line after a shanked punt.
Two plays later, Carter Lester became the fifth different T-Bird with a touchdown.
LCC led 42-0 at halftime.
Palte said, “Our two freshman running backs (Eddie White and Carter Lester) are two guys that do not look like freshmen. They’re great kids and when Matthew couldn’t go today, they were excited at the opportunity and made the best of it.”
Carter Lester scored on runs of 13, and 25 yards in the second half to bring Lima’s total to their season-high of 56 points.
Box score
DJ – 0 0 0 0 – 0
LCC – 21 21 14 0 – 56
Scoring Summary
LCC – 12-yard TD Pass Brady Parker to Mylon Cowens (Brevan Stolly PAT Good)
LCC – 11-yard TD Run Jaxon White (Brevan Stolly PAT Good)
LCC – 8-yard TD run Michael Quatman (Brevan Stolly PAT Good)
LCC – 3-yard TD run Eddie White (Brevan Stolly PAT Good)
LCC – 2-yard TD run Carter Lester (Brevan Stolly PAT Good)
LCC – 1-yard TD run Brady Parker (Brevan Stolly PAT Good)
LCC – 25-yard TD run Carter Lester (Brevan Stolly PAT Good)
LCC – 13-yard TD run Carter Lester (Brevan Stolly PAT Good)
Next Week
Delphos Jefferson (1-6, 0-4) @ Allen East
LCC (5-2, 3-1) @ Spencerville
Nate Stidham wrote this story for LimaScores.com
