The Santa Clarita Christian football team opened the season on the road Thursday night when the team travelled to Cornerstone Christian looking for a win.
But by the final whistle, the Cardinals (0-1) suffered a blowout 63-12 loss to the Crusaders (1-0) that saw Santa Clarita Christian lose key players to injury.
“I think mentally, we just had a tough time overcoming a lot of mistakes in terms of assignments and just small football details, tackling and blocking,” head coach Austin Fry said. “And when you play against a team that doesn’t make many mistakes, those things amplify over the course of the game.”
In the first quarter, the Cardinals lost offensive lineman Cameron Metro to a concussion that sidelined him for the rest of the game.
Going from bad to worse, Fry would wind up losing running back Chase Kalinske, who suffered a shoulder injury.
With the run-heavy offense that the team operates, the Cardinals were at a disadvantage in scoring all night. The lone scoring play of the game for Santa Clarita Christian was a Caleb Shaffer touchdown reception.
“With our offense, which is very run-heavy, that’s encouraging,” Fry said. “But we have to be able to put together more consistent drives, and that comes down to the details.”
After Kalinske was sidelined, Jonah Babikian stepped up, taking the mantle in the backfield and leaving Fry impressed with his performance.
“He is a warrior. He probably had one of, as far as like who had good games, I’d say he had a great game,” Fry said. “He just seems to be able to give 100% effort on every single play, which is just really impressive and just shows his grit.”
The biggest challenge of the night for Fry was having to manage players’ workloads. With many players playing on both offense and defense, the injuries left the team having to fit players in missing gaps.
“As the injuries started racking up, we were kind of scrambling to get guys in certain places,” Fry said. “I’d say the biggest thing I’m proud of is I really never had to throw anybody in from the sideline. The guys were willing to jump in there and help out in the spots they hadn’t played before. So, I was really proud of that part of it.”
As for Kalinske, there is no timeline for when the senior is expected back out on the field.
“We’re very much in the early stages of it, so it could be a week, could be four weeks,” Fry said.
Looking ahead, Fry wants to forget this week’s result and use the time until the next game to refocus on what matters most and get back to the basics.
“Nailing down the little stuff, the details, just making sure that everybody knows what they’re supposed to be doing and that they’re equipped to be able to do that,” Fry said. “Being able to play the sport in itself a joy and a privilege, so not forgetting that we’re out there to enjoy it and to enjoy it for God’s glory and represent him.”
The Cardinals will look to bounce back next week on Saturday against visiting Avalon at College of the Canyons.
