Flashes look for quick start against region-foe Bulldogs|[9/08/06]

Published 12:00 am Friday, September 8, 2006

It’s not clear if, after two games, the St. Aloysius Flashes have worked out all of the kinks, but it also doesn’t matter.

From here on out, the games count for real.

St. Al hits the road tonight to face Thomastown in the first of nine straight Region 2-1A games.

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&#8220You need to win the games you ought to win. If you lose, you’re put in a situation where you’ve got to beat some of the top runners, so it’s real big,” St. Al coach Jim Taylor said of winning the region opener.

Last year’s game with Thomastown was certainly one the Flashes should have won.

The Bulldogs’ LeMarcus Clayton caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Fred Nettles with 35 seconds to play to give his team a 12-7 win. The loss sent St. Al into a season-long funk. The Flashes lost five of their first six region games and quickly fell out of the playoff picture.

&#8220I told the kids it was probably the worst loss of last season because it got us started with a loss in the district that we shouldn’t have had,” Taylor said.

In its first two games this season, St. Al has had mixed reviews.

The defense played well in a 12-7, season-opening win over Cathedral, then surrendered 39 points last week in a loss to St. Andrew’s.

The offense, meanwhile, struggled against Cathedral and sputtered in the first half before scoring three touchdowns in the second half against St. Andrew’s.

&#8220Early on we executed on a couple of drives and came away with nothing. We drove down three times and came away with three points. We were our own worst enemy,” Taylor said. &#8220We started using more people and did start playing better in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter.”

St. Al may be without the services of starting QB Chris Lewis this week. Lewis hurt his leg in the second quarter against St. Andrew’s and sat out the rest of the game. He has practiced some this week, but his status is uncertain.

If Lewis can’t go, it will put some pressure on the shoulders of freshman backup Regan Nosser and senior running back Alex Halinski.

Nosser completed 1 of 3 passes for 7 yards in his relief stint last week, and did his best work by making clean handoffs to Halinksi. The big, bruising back rumbled for 269 yards and two touchdowns, and has rushed for 448 yards and four scores in only two games.

Halinski said he’s ready to carry more of the load for the Flashes if needed.

&#8220When you’re a senior running back, that’s what you are. You’ve got to lead the team,” he said.