FRIARS TAKE OUT THE TITANS

The FD Friars kicked off their championship run with a big quarterfinals win over the Tiyan Titans 42-6 at the GW Field in Mangilao. FD scored in all facets of the game, advancing them to the semifinals next weekend where they will play the Guam High Panthers.


photo by gspn

It was a busy night for All-Island 1st Team defensive end RJ Rokop, who sacked Titans quarterback Shaun Alvarez four times.

Friars All-Island 1st Team defensive tackle Pierre Aflague collected a team-high six tackles to go along with two sacks, All-Island 2nd Team tackle Kobe Tupaz had four tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble, and All-Island 1st team linebacker Joaquin Mesa had five tackles and two forced fumbles to highlight the Friar defense.


photo by gspn

It was exam week for FD, which could have made the preparation for the the first round of the playoffs take a backseat to studies, but Rokop assured that the teams sights are still set on the big picture.

“We just started slow as usual, but we’re going to fix that in practice. We wanted to come out strong tonight and play the way we always do,” said Rokop.


photo by gspn

The ‘Maroon Wall’ loaded the stat sheet, collecting four interceptions, seven sacks, and three forced fumbles. Friar All-Island 1st Team safety Bryton Cepeda took one of those interceptions 93 yards in the 3rd quarter to give FD the 42-6 final.


photo by gspn

Friar Christopher Cawili intercepted Alvarez on the Titans opening drive, which FD quickly turned into seven points after a three-yard touchdown run by All-Island 2nd Team running back De’Aundre Cruz.

The running trio of Cruz, Leon Shimizu, and fullback Jake Benito all found the end zone on the night with no back taking more than eight carries.

Devin Sudo also had a big night for FD, scoring two touchdowns in the contest. Sudo’s first touchdown came in the first quarter after the Friars had forced Tiyan to punt.


photo by gspn

Sudo, an All-Island 2nd Team return man as well as a 1st team receiver, caught the ball at the 45-yard line and darted to the right side of the field. After out running first two Titans, Sudo was the beneficiary of a vicious block by Rokop that allowed Sudo to safely sprint the final 20 yards.

His second score came late in the 2nd quarter after Friar quarterback Daniel Phillips completed a simple seven-yard throw. Instead of going out of bounds as instructed, Sudo saw a lot of green in front of him which prompted the speedy Friar to run untouched to complete the 64-yard touchdown.


photo by gspn

FD went into the half leading 35-6.

Up next for the Friars is Guam High, where they defeated the Panthers 35-7 in the regular season.


photo by gspn

“We’re very excited to face Guam High, but we’re just going to play how we always play and hopefully not start out slow like when we last challenged them,” added Sudo.

“We’re just going to play hard, that’s it,” added Rokop.