For most of the night, the Knights’ talking had been done on the field.
Alter rushed for 424 yards on 43 carries with Joe Penno going for 145 yards on 13 carries and Zaire finishing with 92 yards on 10 carries. While Alter was cranking up 447 yards in total offense and 14 first downs, the Cavaliers managed just 176 yards in total offense and seven first downs.
“They (the defense) played well,” Alter coach Ed Domsitz said after the Knights improved to 4-0. “Anytime you hold a (Greater Catholic League) team to one touchdown, it’s a good night. It’s only week four, so there are still some things we can work on.”
After Tommy Ruff found the end zone on Alter’s second possession, Zaire took over.
Zaire scored with 11 minutes left in the half on a 14-yard run to push the lead to 14-0 before busting loose for a 37-yard run as the fourth quarter started for a 28-0 lead.
“Our first possession, we are just looking at what the defense is doing,” Zaire said. “Then, we do what we can to play on their weaknesses. I think we were being too impatient at first. We just had to calm down, and once we did, we executed pretty well.”
Purcell finally got on the board with 7:46 left in the game, but crossed into Alter territory just twice on the night.
Zaire admits he never looked at the state poll until Domsitz mentioned it at practice.
“I know what we are striving for,” Zaire said. “We needed to come out and prove to people (that we are good). But, we still have a lot to work on.”
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