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Malden awaits quarterfinal rematch with improved Cardinal Ritter
The Malden football team made quite the impression on Cardinal Ritter coach Rolando Merriweather.
Recollections of last season's 47-6 drubbing were still fresh in his mind as he began listing attributes about the Green Wave while preparing to once again host Malden in the Class 2 playoffs.
"I expect them to be fast, I expect them to be precise, I expect them to be a tough team," Merriweather said. "We can't play like we played last year, I know that."
Malden (12-0) and Cardinal Ritter (10-1) are two of the last eight teams left in Class 2 and will meet for the second straight time during the quarterfinals.
Malden enters the game as one of three undefeated teams left in Class 2. The last two seasons for the Green Wave have produced deep playoff runs and a combined record of 25-1 with their only loss during that time coming from the defending state champions, Lamar.
"They're just as good as they were last year and we're going to have to play much better. A perfect game - that's what it will take to beat them," Merriweather said about Malden.
Malden made short work of the Lions last season leading at one time 47-0 before Cardinal Ritter tacked on a late score to make up the final. The Lions return nearly everyone from that team, which ended the regular season 3-6 and rattled off three straight to win its district and meet up with Malden.
This season for the Lions been slightly different.
Ritter's only loss comes from a Class 3 powerhouse -- No. 3 ranked John Burroughs -- during the first game of the year. Since then, the Lions have won 10-straight including a 38-25 win over Sikeston to end the regular season.
The improvement shown from the Lions begins with Naeem Moore.
Moore, a 6-0, 205 pound senior running back and safety, leads the Lions with 1,873 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on 139 attempts. He averages 13.5 yards per carry which is the best clip by any running back in the St. Louis area.
He burned Sikeston for a 90-yard kickoff return to start the game which spurred a 38-0 lead at halftime. The speedy Moore, who's just as dangerous on defense, was ejected from the game against Sikeston after throwing a punch and was forced to sit out Cardinal Ritter's district semifinal game against Herculaneum. He played during his team's 52-30 win over Jefferson last week, but was held to 82 yards on 11 carries and, according to Merriweather, looked rusty.
"He started off having a good year, but these last few games hasn't been so good for him," Merriweather said about Moore. "We played Sikeston and he started off pretty good, then he got ejected from the game and now he's playing catch-up. Hopefully he got the rust off of him last week and he gets back to his old ways Friday."
And Moore isn't the only weapon the Lions have in store.
Sophomore Jared Price (5-8, 220) is Cardinal Ritter's second 1,000-yard rusher with 1,258 yards and 17 touchdowns. Jarred Phillips (5-10, 180), another sophomore, is also in the mix with 779 yards and nine touchdowns on 70 attempts.
"They've got a three-headed monster in the back field," Malden head coach Joel Wyatt said. "(Moore) is the beast of the bunch. He's a player and he can run."
Phillips is third in the rushing stats mainly because he's missed a few games with a broken hand earlier this year.
"Now he's coming into full stride and hopefully we can get these guys going at the same time," Merriweather said. "Jared Price has been awesome. He doesn't break the 60 or 70-yarders like Naeem, but he's constantly getting chunks for us. Jarred's another guy who can match Naeem when it comes to running the ball."
With Moore and the rest of its running core leading the way for the Lions, Merriweather said the progression since last year has went hand-in-hand with the growth of quarterback Terrell Wess.
Wess, has completed 48 percent (42 of 86) of his passes for 823 yards and 10 touchdowns. Merriweather said Wess keeps opposing defenses honest and doesn't allow them to key on Ritter's rushing attack, which has amassed 4,243 yards so far. Wess, a 5-11, 160 pound senior, isn't much of a threat to run from the backfield with just 10 official carries this season.
"The progressive part really comes from the quarterback," Merriweather said. "Our line has been steady and they're a lot better than they were last year. Our quarterback is better throwing the ball. Our receivers have gotten open which has opened up the run-game more."
Junior Eric Bryce (6-2, 180) is Wess' favorite target with 20 catches for 430 yards and three touchdowns. Both Moore and senior Dakari Amsted (6-3, 185) have eight catches for 154 and 106 yards, respectively.
On the defensive side, Donnell Sharp (6-1, 210) leads the way. The sophomore defensive lineman has 19 sacks, 74 tackles and one interception. Senior linebacker Jeff Hayes has 73 tackles and one interception and another senior linebacker, Layton Martin, adds 66 tackles and five sacks.
Wyatt has been impressed with Cardinal Ritter's improvement.
"They are a much better team this year than they were last year," he said. "You can tell they got a lot of starters back and just how efficient their offense is. Everything is smooth, they timing on their fakes with their misdirection and jet sweeps. They're better up front as well. Not really a comparison when it comes to last year."
Malden may not be as explosive as they were last season, but their particular formula has them in a position to grasp a second straight semifinal appearance.
"When we first started this season, I knew we would be here -- 12-0 with a district title -- but I knew we would have to do it a different way," Malden's Nick Thompson said. "Different identity, same expectations."
Thompson has led the Green Wave's offense this season after being relegated to the team's third rushing option a year ago. The 6-0, 225 bruiser has 1,567 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns.
His brother, Kylus Thompson, is Malden's second-leading rusher and top receiving target. He's accumulated 1,384 yards and 19 touchdowns in rushing and receiving combined.
Chapen Riley, a four-year starting quarterback for the Green Wave has 1,500 passing yards and 21 touchdowns. He said he's noticed a difference in Cardinal Ritter as well after a few film sessions.
"We watched them on film and they look a lot faster," said Riley. "They didn't lose a lot of players from last year so they have a lot of experience under their belt. They're in the quarterfinals just like us so we have to attack it with a warrior mentality. They're athletic, but then again, we are too. It's going to be a dogfight probably."
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., on Friday at Cardinal Ritter High School.
The winner of this game will get either Lutheran North (8-4) or Palmyra (10-2) next Saturday during the semifinals.
Lamar will take on Liberty (Mountain View) on Saturday during the other quarterfinal on the other side of the Class 2 bracket. Both of those teams are undefeated. Lafayette County and Brookfield are the remaining quarterfinalists.