Crosstown showdown notebook: Lavery solid in debut as Raiders’ quarterback

QUINCY — Calvin Lavery started to squat before realizing his muscles wouldn’t allow it.

So the Quincy Notre Dame quarterback stayed standing as he talked about dealing with cramps throughout the Raiders’ 40-20 victory Friday night against Quincy High School in the crosstown showdown at Flinn Stadium.

Temperatures topping out at 93 degrees with heat indexes rising to 103 degrees or higher for the season opener caused players on both sides to fight cramps. Lavery took a pop or two as well, but he said his postgame aches were the direct result of cramps.

“Every muscle,” he said with a smile.

Lavery said he felt he stayed well hydrated, but the mixture of heat and fatigue seized everything up.

“I tried to show some toughness,” he said.

The 6-foot-6, 178-pound senior did that in his first career start. His numbers were solid, completing 12 of 26 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. He also ran four times for 5 yards, including one carry in which he lowered his shoulder and drove through a would-be tackler.

Jackson Stratton replaced Lavery after he cramped up and completed 4 of 5 passes for 36 yards.

“I thought Calvin had a lot of poise and executed well,” QND coach Jack Cornell said. “We wanted to keep him in the ballgame longer than what we did. He had some growing pains, but it’s certainly better to have to make these corrections after a win than after a loss.

“With all things considered, I was very impressed with the way Calvin played tonight. I thought he showed a lot of grit and toughness.”

Lavery felt his teammates did, too.

“I’m extremely happy with the determination of our guys,” Lavery said. “We came out ready to play and I think we proved a point to a lot of people in this area.”

QHS quarterback battle to continue

Blue Devils coach Rick Little went into the season opener with sophomore Adon Byquist as the starting quarterback, but he planned to play all three quarterbacks who had engaged in a preseason battle for playing time.

Each had solid moments and need-to-learn-from-this plays.

Byquist completed 4 of 6 passes for 61 yards and an interception, while running three times for 9 yards. Freshman Bradyn Little completed 4 of 7 passes for 19 yards and was sacked for a 10-yard loss. Junior Brian Douglas was 2 of 5 for 49 yards and an interception, but he spent more time at tailback following Jesus Johnson’s shoulder injury and ran seven times for 1 yard.

“To be honest, I like all of them and we certainly like what they bring to the table,” Rick Little said. “You don’t want any growing pains, but you know there are going to be some. For me, it’s a great challenge. I love the challenge. I love the team, but it’s a challenge.

“We have to work to throw on time. As a quarterback, it’s a big deal. Everything is timed out. You have to be able to deliver on that third step or that fifth step depending on your drop. Too many times I felt we weren’t throwing on time.”

Here, there and everywhere

Because of the vast number of players dealing with cramps, the QND defense made a number of adjustments on the fly. That meant senior Zach Friedersdorf ended up shifting from starting safety to playing cornerback and linebacker at different times.

Others filled positions as needed, too.

“We just threw someone else in there and went on and did the job,” Friedersdorf said. “We all played together. That’s what it takes.”

Friedersdorf showcased what he can do from a variety of spots. He intercepted Byquist on the Blue Devils’ second play of the game, setting up Ethan Beroiza’s 30-yard field for a 10-0 lead with just four minutes elapsed. He broke up two other passes and made five tackles.

Offensively, he caught a 6-yard touchdown pass less than a minute into the second half, giving the Raiders a 24-0 lead.

Up next

The Raiders, ranked fifth in Class 4A, will play their home opener next Friday against Rock Island Alleman. The Pioneers suffered a 62-0 loss to Davenport (Iowa) Assumption in the season opener.

The Blue Devils travel to Alton next Friday. The Redbirds opened with a 22-13 loss at Belleville Althoff.