Cros-Lex offense 'clicking', erupts for nine touchdowns in win over Richmond
RICHMOND — In total silence, the Croswell-Lexington football team walked onto the field.
There was no running, yelling or jumping. Instead, the players calmly made their way to the visiting sideline and waited for kickoff. They were all business. And just like the Pioneers have become accustomed to doing, they took care of business as well.
"Once coach gets our offense rolling and we see weaknesses in the defense, we just keep attacking," Cros-Lex quarterback Gavin Espinoza said. "We don't stop. And that's what happens. We find weaknesses in defenses."
The Pioneers found the end zone nine times and demolished Richmond, 61-7, at Ben Boldt Stadium on Friday. Cros-Lex improved to 2-0 with the win, while the Blue Devils dropped to 1-1.
"They're a fantastic football team," Richmond coach Sean Misko said. "One of the things we worked on all week was trying to come out and not give too much respect out the gate. But they jumped on us pretty early. We had some guys waver in that department. So the whole rest of the game, essentially, became a discussion of heart and courage."
The Blue Devils showed plenty of fight. But like many teams that've done the same against Cros-Lex in recent years, it wasn't nearly enough. The Pioneers are now 18-4 under Mike LeGrow since he took over as coach two years ago.
"I'm absolutely thrilled with the way that we're working," LeGrow said. "We didn't do anything that was outside of our base stuff. So it's nice to see that our base stuff is clicking now."
"Clicking" would be an understatement. Espinoza finished 10-for-20 passing for 218 yards and four touchdowns (to four different receivers) against two interceptions. He also ran for 41 yards and one score. Junior running back Gabriel Groppi was spectacular, rushing for 254 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries.
"I can see the gaps pretty well with the (offensive line) doing their job," Groppi said. "They give me holes to run through. It makes it easier for me. A lot easier."
Four turnovers (two by each team) were committed in the first 3:50 of the game. Three of those occurred consecutively as the first quarter took 46 minutes to play while the Pioneers built a 27-0 lead.
They broke the scoreless tie on Espinoza's 55-yard touchdown pass to Drew Hosterman with 9:18 left in the first. Then in typical fashion, Cros-Lex quickly added to its lead.
Groppi scored on a 30-yard run up the middle at 5:55. Exactly two minutes later, he ran for a 74-yard touchdown. With 45 seconds remaining in the quarter, Groppi bullied his way across the goal line once more for a 3-yard TD.
Richmond's lone score came at the 8:10 mark of the second quarter when sophomore Trey Graham returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown. He ran toward the left side of the field to make the catch, juked out a defender and then beat the Pioneers in a foot race to the end zone.
But by that point, Cros-Lex still held a 40-7 advantage. And it continued to grow.
"I saw our guys not giving up (after the early turnovers) and trusting what we do," LeGrow said. "We have a good enough defense to where if we make mistakes, we can erase them. That's a nice benefit to have. It means we can take some risks at times."
That defense appeared to be in midseason form. Cornerback Nick Monzo had two interceptions, both of which came in the third quarter. Defensive tackle Benito Mendoza totaled four tackles (three for loss) and two sacks.
Cros-Lex will now turn its attention to another BWAC rival in Armada. The Tigers, who are also 2-0, come to town Sept. 9.
"Their size and their physicality (stick out)," LeGrow said. "We've got to try and match their physicality. And I think we will. It's going to be a fun one, that's for sure."
The Blue Devils are heading into a bye week. They'll use the extra time to recover and regroup.
"The biggest thing for us is that we're going to get back in the weight room," Misko said. "This game is over. It's passed. We still have our goals for the season and we're going to continue to work towards those."
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Cros-Lex erupts for nine touchdowns with its offense 'clicking now'
