Football: La Salle is Much More Than Just Milliner, Cecil; Lancers Host Silverado Tonight with Balanced Effort

 

It goes without saying that La Salle running back Amon Milliner and defensive end Myles Cecil get marquee billing when people write about the Lancers football program.

Milliner has run for nearly 2,500 yards and 23 TD’s and Cecil is as dominant as anyone in changing the game plan of an opposing offense.

But La Salle (7-4) is so much more than just those two talented young men.

The Lancers season has seen its share of firsts.

It won the first two Angelus League games in three years, and the Lancers’ 27-7 victory over Mayfair last week was their first postseason win in nine years.

La Salle hosts Silverado (8-2) at 7 tonight, and as usual, it will need starring efforts from Milliner and Cecil.

As important though, the Lancers will get co-starring roles from Jake Rose, Sammy Martinez, Wyatt Cimino, Harrison MacDonald, Myles Bailey and Ryan Sparks.

Each of the six have made contributions all year, but they’ll need the collective game of their season to stop a lethal Levi Taylor.

The Silverado quarterback has numbers that rival almost no one.

Taylor has thrown for just under 3,000 yards, tossed 35 touchdown passes and run for 9 more.

Can coach Russell Gordon’s core crew of 22 seniors keep Taylor on the sidelines with long, sustained drives and will the defense be able to keep Taylor in check?

If so, these six will be huge in a Lancers victory.

Rose has been solid all season from the middle linebacker position and is athletic and versatile.

Rose has 45 tackles (third on the team) and 2 sacks.

“Jake works extremely hard on a daily basis, and he brings character and leadership to the team,” coach Russell Gordon said. “He plays down hill and helps our D stop the run. Jake makes our defensive checks. He is our QB on D.”

Rose is all business.

“I need to focus and play run first, and make sure I stop any ground game,” he said. “We take every game seriously and never think about a game lightly, but it being a playoff game definitely makes us more hyped and ready. I’m most excited about playing in front of our home crowd at La Salle. It’s great seeing the support from our community.”

Martinez is a senior captain that is respected throughout.

The Lancers linebacker has 38 tackles and a sack, but he does so much more than that.

Martinez also plays fullback on occasion, but is always looking to do his part.

“Sammy is a young man who reminds me of Clark Kent,” Gordon said. “He is a nice, well-dressed young man filled with character. On the field of play, he puts his helmet and shoulder pads on and becomes a super hero. He plays the game with passion and is extremely physical.”

Martinez makes the checks on defense and remembers all too well the last time La Salle lost a home playoff game in his freshman year. He wants to do his part in making sure it doesn’t happen again.

“Knowing this is a win-or-go-home game in my opinion makes my desire to win much greater,” Martinez said. “I’ve gotten much more disciplined and so has our team. Our defense is playing with the same intensity, but with much more discipline. I am most excited about everyone coming out to see us play. It’s a home playoff game and we’re one of the only teams around still playing.”

MacDonald is anything but physically imposing, but the senior has been huge all season.

While he does make plays on defense, MacDonald is best known for his 8 touchdown receptions and 602 yards. He also an interception on defense.

MacDonald plays on special teams and is as sure-handed as anyone in the area.

“Harrison brings an intelligence to the offense, and understands our concepts and checks,” Gordon said. He runs runs good routes, practices hard and is consistent Monday through Thursday. And it shows Friday nights.”

Cecil is also a fan of his fellow senior.

“Harrison is a spark plug when the ball gets in his hands,” Cecil said. “He is bound to make people miss, not to mention he does not play around with the ball. It is very secure after the catch, and he’s a beast at getting north and south.”

Cimino earns his respect deep in the Lancers defensive backfield.

He’s the last line of defense, and more times than not, Cimino makes a drive-stopping play.

Cimino has 29 tackles and a team-best 3 interceptions, including on the game’s final play in a triple-overtime win in Scottsale, Arizona.

Last week, a Mayfair receiver took it upon himself to run his mouth at Cimino and even punched Cimino in the mouth.

But Cimino, in what has been a reversal of fortune in discipline for La Salle, walked away, allowed the ref’s to call a penalty and then picked off the Mayfair quarterback.

He’s letting his play do the talking.

“Wyatt plays free safety and he is always in the right place at the right time,” Gordon said. He continually makes plays game after game. Wyatt put a lot of work in during the off-season and now his hard work is reaping the rewards.”

Sparks has 26 tackles and 6 sacks.

He’s also someone Cecil calls “the energizer bunny.”

“He goes both ways and plays in almost every facet of special teams,” Cecil said of Sparks. “He is able to give 100-percent at all times and is the most complete student-athlete I have ever been around. He has a better than 4.0 grade-point average and his sense of humor really helps our team chemistry.”

Sparks’ coach loves him too.

“Ryan is a great character kid, with a motor that never quits,” Gordon said. “He’s an interior guy who doesn’t get recognized in the newspaper for touchdowns, but as a team, we know what he brings.”

Bailey is a cornerback that has been described as someone who “locks down” an opponent.

Bailey has 37 tackles and a pick.

“Myles plays one the hardest positions on the field, at corner,” Gordon said. “He is a young man that I can rely on to do his job on a weekly basis. He is a good teammate and sets a good example for the young kids.”

He can also fill in at receiver when needed, and has three catches for 33 yards.

“He goes hard week in and week out, he has a short memory when it comes to plays after a catch is made on him,” Cecil said about Bailey. “If he ever (gives up a play) he does not let it get to him, he comes back the next play even more focused and locked in.” .

As much as Milliner, Cecil, Sparks, Martinez, Rose, Bailey, MacDonald and Cimino will need to play huge tonight, there are several more players La Salle will lean heavily on.

Quarterback Jake Caan looked solid last week and could really give the Lancers the edge if he’s able to keep Silverado’s defense honest and not allowing them to stack the box.

“I just know our group of 22 seniors will find a way to get the win like they’ve done all season,” Gordon said.

Quotable:

Myles Cecil on Martinez and Rose:

“Jake Rose is the true edification of being the hammer and destroying the nail. He comes with bad intentions and he is a part of almost every tackle within 20 yards of the line of scrimmage.”

“Martinez is the clean-up man. You don’t want to run out his way, because he, like all of our linebackers, are not afraid in the slightest degree to hit.”