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LINDBERGH – On a team that prides itself on power running and physical defense, someone must provide the electric plays for the Lindbergh football team.
Fittingly, his name is Watts.
Senior Terrell Watts scored on a kickoff return and an interception return, and senior Owen Norman added two rushing scores as Lindbergh defeated Chaminade 34-7 Friday at Lindbergh High.
It did not take long for Watts to flip on the switch. He received the opening kickoff at his own 12-yard line, followed his blockers and found a seam. By the time he reached midfield he had a convoy of green jerseys pointing him towards the end zone.
“Before the kickoff, I heard the middle schoolers behind me calling my name, and I wanted to come out with a bang,” Watts said. “I hit my wedge, got outside and turned on the jets.”
The scene looked eerily similar for Chaminade, which surrendered a kickoff return touchdown to Lindbergh last season in a 28-26 opening game defeat.
“It was déjà vu from a year ago when we struggled on special teams, but even though we gave them seven (points) right out of the gate, I liked the way we fought back,” Chaminade coach Antoine Torrey said.
That fight from the Red Devils included two explosive pass plays from junior Anthony Daly to sophomore Steven Dyson. First, Daly heaved a deep ball down the right sideline that Dyson high-pointed for a 33-yard gain on third-and-9.
One play later, Daly fired a quick screen to Dyson and he took care of the rest, breaking a tackle and scooting down the left sideline for a 39-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 after one quarter.
The next Chaminade drive began with promise when junior Madden Irving, who gained a game high 109 rushing yards, powered up the middle for 14. But that would turn out to be the longest play from scrimmage for the Red Devils for the remainder of the game.
Two plays later, a free blitzer forced Daly to release the ball early, and Watts was waiting. He picked off the errant pass at midfield, got a key block from junior Trent Peterson and skirted the sideline for a 50-yard pick-six.
“Before the play, I heard my coaches say, ‘Watch the wheel (route),’ and as soon as I saw the running back break out, I knew it was coming. The ball was in perfect position for me to jump up and catch it,” said Watts, who recorded a second interception and a 42-yard punt return to his album of splash plays.
Thanks to the two electrifying plays by Watts, Lindbergh (1-0) went into halftime with a 14-7 lead despite the offense accruing only 93 yards of total offense and five first downs.
“Terrell’s big play capability carried us in the first half,” Lindbergh coach Nathan Norman said.
Strong blocking and tough running carried the Flyers the rest of the way.
Quarterback Owen Norman, who gained five yards on three carries in the first half, ran the ball five times for 26 yards on the Flyers’ opening possession of the second half. A direct snap to senior Victor Wheaton broke open for 24 yards, and two plays later, junior Javonte Tiller spun off tacklers and dove into the end zone to open a 20-7 Lindbergh advantage.
“In the first half, we made some self-imposed errors that really hurt us,” Nathan Norman said. “We wanted to come out in the second half, settle down, limit the mistakes, and put a nice drive together and we did that.”
Those nice drives continued as Lindbergh scored touchdowns on its next two possessions. Owen Norman capped off an eight-play drive with a 3-yard touchdown run over right guard and opened the fourth quarter with a 14-yard touchdown run around the left end.
Norman gained 85 yards on 12 carries in the second half and led the way for 225-yard, second half rushing performance by the Flyers.
“We just felt that (power running) was the best way to attack. It worked in the first half, but we got away from it,” Norman said. “The O-line played great. I had the ball, but they opened the holes, and we started to get about five yards every carry.”
And the Lindbergh defense kept returning the ball to its rhythmic offense, yielding only 36 yards and two first downs to Chaminade in the second half.
“I thought the D-line was great. We all stuck our position and held our own, and they had some big offensive lineman,” senior defensive end Josh Mueller said.
For Chaminade (0-1) a humid night, an early deficit and a young roster made it tough to stay with the senior-laden Flyers in the second half.
“That last (9-play) drive they had (in the first half) took a lot out of us. Our guys started to cramp up and the second half was really tough,” Torrey said. “No excuses. They were very physical, controlled the line of scrimmage and they deserved to win. We’ll learn from it, and we’ll put it all together.”
And while the Flyers’ used force to build the lead in the second half, the first half power came from wattage.
“I just try to be electric,” Watts said.