High school football: Syracuse shuts out Wildcats to stay unbeaten

SYRACUSE — Syracuse High School's football team is now 2-0 and undefeated; something never dreamed of at the end of last season.

In the Titans' first two games of the 2008 season, they've left teams scoreless in seven of eight quarters. They've scored a grand total of 45 points to their competitors' six points.

Friday night, the Titans brought their A-game against the Woods Cross Wildcats, leaving them scoreless the entire game.

In the first half, the Titans and the Wildcats had five drives each to test each other out and get on the scoreboard. The Titans closed out the second half with two air-to-spare field goals off the foot of kicker Josh Kealamakia, who nailed a 48-yarder and a 28-yarder.

Titans running back/defensive back T.J. Blickfeldt was a monster on both sides of the ball. He made huge and hard-hitting tackles on defense, and he scored the game's only touchdown on a 2-yard run less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Blickfeldt ran untouched on the 2-point conversion to bring the Titans' score to 14-0.

Titans quarterback Braden Hamblin was 9-for-13 and 104 yards. He also had several keepers, including one where he gained 40 yards.

Penalties sent the Titans back several times. The Titans had several seemingly well-executed plays that ended up gaining minus yards instead of positive yards.

"There's been a lot of firsts around this school. As a head coach, that's the first time I've had that many penalties thrown on me in a game. Not me, but on our team," Titans coach Russ Jones said., showing his frustration. "Somewhere around 14 or 15 flags. That's ridiculous," he added.

The Titans haven't been shooting for shutting out their opponents but Jones has been preparing his team to win. "These kids just persevere," he explained.

"My coaches did a great job and my players did a great job. You can't ask for more than that."