From the Sidelines

When the Saints met for their post-game talk on the field following their 47-34 loss to Juanita on Friday night, the first thing that Sheldon Cross told his team was that he was proud of them.

It was something he really stressed multiple times when we talked postgame.

“We showed we can come back, and get into a battle in a game like that,” he said. “I’m proud of our guys.”

He also couldn’t say enough about the play of his quarterback, Matt Malos. Malos went 21 of 34 for 255 yards and three interceptions. He hit six different receivers with passes, and probably would have had 300 yards if not for a few key drops.

“What a good game for Matt, what a game,” Cross said. “He read the defense. I love Matt. I can’t tell you enough about the way he played. He hung in there tough, sat in the pocket. We had a few dropped balls that would have helped. I honestly wouldn’t trade Matt for any quarterback in the state. I wouldn’t.”

Cole Graves intercepted Malos all three times. The first came on the Saints second play of the game, when Graves jumped an out-route and came up with the pick. The second came on a two-point conversion attempt and the third came on a long throw Malos made to running back Brett Kirschner, when Graves leaped high to steal the ball away.

“We said we were going to have to take some shots to beat some of these teams,” Cross said.

What impressed Cross the most was the way his team kept battling. With 11:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, Juanita led 40-20. But the Saints kept fighting instead of getting down like they would have in the past, Cross said. Interlake scored twice more in the final quarter.

“If you’re in a fight, and you’re getting punched in the mouth, you fight back and you don’t lay down to anybody,” he said. “You can see it on the football field. Three or four years ago, kids would have said ‘oh, there’s the game’. Not this year.”

Cross called a 31-yard touchdown pass from Derek Kaufman to Jeremiah Laufasa with just 3:40 left to play the “final nail” but added “it was a lot tougher for them to nail that sucker in” than in years past.

Despite being in uniform again, Dylan Amell did not see any game action again this week. Cross said he should play next week.

“You know what he brings,” he said. “He’s such an impact player.”