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9/28/06-Football
Big play tandem leads Rice past St. Mary's
by Mike Rosenbaum of the Observer and Eccentric
While preparing for Saturday's contest with Orchard Lake St. Mary's, Birmingham Brother Rice quarterback Mike Cappetto and wide receiver Kaunda Hancock worked on a deep pass play they hoped to employ against the Eaglets.
Late in Saturday's first half, with the Warriors trailing 7-0, the opportunity presented itself. On a third-and-11 play from Rice's 45, Hancock raced down the left sideline. Cappetto's thoughts were on Hancock, but his eyes were on St. Mary's defense.
"I looked off the safety and he flowed to the middle of the field," Cappetto explained, which left Hancock with single coverage on the left side. Hancock beat his man and Cappetto found him for a 55-yard touchdown pass, a key play in the Warriors' 14-7 victory.
"We practiced that all week," Cappetto said. "That's a big play for us."
Rice improved to 5-0 overall, 2-0 in the Catholic League Central Division. St. Mary's is 4-1, 1-1.
The Cappetto-to-Hancock combination connected five times for 97 yards Saturday. Overall, Cappetto completed 12 of 16 passes for 182 yards.
"I thought their execution in the passing game was outstanding," said St. Mary's coach George Porritt. "I thought Cappetto and Hancock -- that was the difference. They made the big pass plays."
Cappetto, who's committed to play college football at Duke, said he enjoys great on-field rapport with fellow senior Hancock, who's yet to commit to a college program.
"We've played (together) since freshman year," Cappetto said. "He's always been my receiver. Every single day during the summer I called him up, we threw routes. I don't even have to look over where he is; I know where to throw the ball. It's really great chemistry."
The pair almost connected for a second TD in the fourth quarter.
With the game tied 7-7, Rice drove from its 45, mainly through the air, to the Eaglets 19. From there, Cappetto connected with Hancock for a 17-yard gain, setting up Caulton Ray's one-yard touchdown run.
On the decisive scoring drive, Rice coach Al Fracassa said his team "blocked a little bit better and we ran a little bit better and we did just enough to keep them off balance."
Although Rice ran for just 93 yards Saturday, the Warriors' running attack had some third quarter success, which set up the fourth quarter passing attack.
"It's just a good combination of running and passing," Cappetto said. "We can't go too heavily run, too heavily pass. So that good combination kept the defense on its heels and we just hit (the pass to Hancock) right over the top, right where we needed it."
St. Mary's had two fourth quarter possessions following Rice's second TD, but both ended with interceptions, one by Joey Henry and another, with 12 seconds remaining, by Hancock, after the Eaglets had driven to Rice's 30.
St. Mary's was strong on the ground Saturday, with 174 yards on 35 carries. Blair Hollis had 60 yards on 11 carries, Siller gained 49 on 12 tries and Dominique White ran seven times for 45 yards. But Siller and his receivers were not in sync. He completed just five of 19 passes for 93 yards, with three interceptions. The loss was Siller's first at St. Mary's. The Eaglets were 10-0 when Siller started last season. He missed their final two playoff games with a broken hand.
St. Mary's opened the scoring in the second quarter with a 39-yard drive, all on the ground.
Hollis began the drive with a 22-yard run and Siller capped it with a four-yard scramble into the end zone.
Rice and St. Mary's may not have seen the last of each other this season. In addition to their annual regular-season contest, Rice and St. Mary's have met in the Division 2 state playoffs the last two years, and also played in last year's Catholic League Prep Bowl. The teams are 3-3 in their last six games.
"The kids played hard," said Fracassa. "Orchard Lake St. Mary's has a tremendous team and we were fortunate enough to win. It could've gone either way, because those guys are really tough. And we'll probably have to play them again."
This Saturday, Rice meets U-D Jesuit, at Ferndale, while St. Mary's plays host to Catholic Central.
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