CREVE COEUR – The De Smet defense has a saying, “The pressure makes plays.”
It is the concept that a strong pass rush is the key to creating explosive, game-changing plays on defense.
“It all starts with the defensive line,” senior safety Brayden Wakula said. “The D-line gets pressure on the quarterback and that gives the DBs everything we need.”
Wakula and senior cornerback Josiah Houston scored defensive touchdowns, part of the Spartans’ six-takeaway performance as De Smet cruised to a 35-0 victory over SLUH to win the Class 6 District 3 championship Friday at De Smet High School.
De Smet (9-2), which defeated SLUH for the ninth consecutive time, will travel to Rock Bridge (10-1) for a Class 6 quarterfinal at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23.
De Smet defeated Rock Bridge 23-16 in a Class 6 quarterfinal last season.
Before the Spartans’ defensive line wreaked havoc, the De Smet special teams unit started the trove of takeaways. Late in the first quarter, junior Luke Markway pounced on a muffed punt deep in SLUH territory and six plays later, Jayden McCaster plunged into the end zone from one yard away to give De Smet a 7-0 lead.
It was the first of several splash plays made by the De Smet special teams unit, including a coffin corner punt by junior Mark Gaertner that pinned the Jr. Bills inside the five-yard line, and the alert recovery of a SLUH surprise onside kick by senior Michael Scally to open the second half.
“I’m really proud of our special teams units,” De Smet coach John Merritt said. “I thought we really controlled the game from a field position standpoint from start to finish. Our kickers, punters, coverage guys. It was a full team effort.”
The De Smet defense took its first journey into the end zone seven seconds after McCaster’s touchdown. On a play that seemed doomed from the start, SLUH junior Jordan Taylor took a handoff, ran around left end, avoided the penalty flag on the turf and was engulfed by a swarm of Spartans. At the tail end of the play, the ball squirted loose and Wakula took no chances.
“I thought the play was done and all of a sudden the ball was out, so I picked it up and scored,” Wakula said.
After a short discussion by the officials, the touchdown was granted and De Smet led 14-0.
During the Sept. 13 regular season meeting between the teams, SLUH (7-5) gained only 32 yards rushing on 27 attempts. Taylor needed only three carries to reach 37 yards on Friday, and after the lost fumble, he broke off a 31-yard burst on the next possession.
But he was unable to gain traction after that, as the Spartans’ defensive front, led by senior Quincy Byas and junior Titan Davis, met Taylor in the backfield for five tackles for loss.
“Obviously, we never plan for anything big to hit, but if it does, we go to the tape, chop it up, see how to correct it and then fix it,” said Byas, whose 45 career sacks surpassed the all-time De Smet school record.
In all, the Spartans’ defense held SLUH to 0-for-8 on third downs, under 150 yards in total offense and forced six turnovers.
“Our linebackers did a great job in the run game and our secondary was fast and hawked the ball,” Merritt said. “Our defense really had a special night.”
After a SLUH missed field goal, the De Smet offense joined the explosive play parade. A 17-yard swing pass to McCaster was followed by a 44-yard raindrop from junior Dillon Duff to junior Wyatt Stoltz. Two plays later, Duff rolled to his right and found McCaster in the back of the end zone to complete a 14-play, 78-yard drive and give De Smet a 21-0 halftime cushion.
“(Duff) made some great plays scrambling with the football and made some throws downfield that were really, really special. The touchdown pass to Jayden was a fantastic throw,” Merritt said.
SLUH was not going to leave the postseason quietly. The Jr. Bills attempted a surprise onside kick to begin the second half. On their first offensive possession, they called a double pass, a flea flicker and a double reverse.
“We tried, we really did,” SLUH coach Adam Cruz said. “But when you turn the ball over that many times, you’re not going to win many football games. If you don’t take care of the ball and lose third down, this is what’s going to happen.”
After surviving the trio of trickery, Wakula intercepted a Kyren Eleby pass during the first SLUH possession of the third quarter. On the next defensive series, Houston picked off Eleby and took it 65 yards down the sideline for the pick-6 that left no doubt of the eventual outcome.
“I just saw the ball and it was, ‘see ball, play ball.’ I caught it, saw green grass and kept running until I scored,” Houston said.
In a 28-3 home loss against Cardinal Ritter on Oct. 18, the Spartans’ defense was gashed for 305 yards rushing and the offense could not find the end zone despite several trips into the red zone. It forced De Smet to look inward to realize what it would take to reach the ultimate goal.
“We had an identity crisis, but we found ourselves,” Houston said. “As a team, we’re playing together more. You can see it at practice, in the hallways at school. There’s a lot of love and a lot of joy, and it shows on the field.”
Wakula added, “We struggled with some things, but we’ve definitely brought it back together. This game tonight was a clicking moment for us, for sure.”
Photo gallery: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Football/Football-2024/SLUH-at-De-Smet-C6D3-championship-11-15-24