The Knights added a new wrinkle to their second straight 40-plus point performance — a shutout.
Holy Trinity Academy blanked the undermanned Rundle College Cobras 41-0 Friday night at Okotoks' Knights field with five touchdowns scored by its impressive Grade 10 class to improve to 2-0 in the high school football season.
"We've got to try to keep getting better every week. I sound like a broken record, but get better every day, get better every week and we've done that," said Knights head coach Matt Hassett. "So far so good, they've done really well. We've got a few really talented young guys come in and really contribute and with the bulk of our team coming back from last year, they've just added to it.
"We've got a wealth of riches, especially on offence at receiver. I've never had so many receivers that can all run and catch and do all sorts of great things."
Both of the Knights' talented quarterbacks got in on the act to open the scoring.
Signal caller Ben Leggett handed the ball off to Noah Gutek in the backfield and the versatile slotback/quarterback found younger brother Jack Gutek in the back of the end-zone for the Grade 10 receiver's first of three touchdowns in the first-half alone.
Jack Gutek was back in the end-zone in the second quarter, catching a pass from Leggett down field then following a couple devastating blocks from twin brother Luke Gutek to find pay-dirt for the 45-yard major. After Noah Gutek made a terrific over the shoulder catch to get the Knights into the red-zone, tailback Vince Barcelos rumbled into the end-zone for the team's first running touchdown on the night.
Jack Gutek then completed the trifecta by getting behind the Spartans secondary and catching a perfect pass from Leggett in the end-zone with just 11 seconds left in the half, giving the Knights a 27-0 advantage and healthy run support for the defence.
"It helps us out because it can take the pressure off," said Knights linebacker Alex Leggett. "Our offence is looking really good this year with the new OC (offensive co-ordinator Bill McConkey) and Ben, my brother, at quarterback and Noah and the Gutek twins and our O-line is working really well."
The Knights kept the momentum going in the second half.
After a big 40-yard catch and run down the sidelines by Jayden Fleck, HTA made good on the field position with Leggett scrambling to his left and finding Luke Gutek for a 20-yard touchdown.
Grade 10 runningback Gabriel Marquardt then made his mark in the third quarter.
After breaking off a nice run up the gut, Marquardt took the subsequent handoff, followed his blocks and cut back for a 45-yard touchdown — the first of his high school career.
"On the first run I thought I've got a little bit of speed, I'm just going to look for my blockers," Marquardt said. "We popped another play and I was like I know what I have to do now, I know where to go and what I should do. I was running and saw Noah (Gutek) sitting there waiting for someone to come so I just went on the backside of him and popped out and I had Jack (Gutek) there if they caught up to me."
There would be no catching up to the fleet-footed freshman.
Marquardt had two other big carries with Jack Gutek taking over behind centre in the fourth-quarter as the Knights Grade 10s made good on their playing time and then some.
"My confidence was kind of weak last year, but this team brings my confidence up every play, the other runningbacks keep my confidence up so well," Marquardt said. "Coach is really keen on trying to get everybody to play, if we play good the younger guys will get in."
On the other side of the ball, the Knights halted the Cobras from any sustained momentum or prolonged drives in the game, keeping the elusive Rundle quarterback in the pocket with a combination of good positioning and execution.
"We just got good contain with our D-ends, our tackles did their jobs of jumping into their gaps and the linebacker just flowed to it," said Alex Leggett. "Overall our defence just did our jobs and we ended up with a shutout. I think it was a good morale booster, but we've got to keep preparing for the next game.
"We're putting in a new defence this year and we just need to do our jobs and everything will come. We just moved some guys around, new positions for some guys, new schematics.
"It's really good, everybody is helping everybody out, seniors helping the young guys out, altogether our team energy and team chemistry is coming along very nicely."
Next week, the Knights are home for the third straight game in a battle with the always tough Medicine Hat High Mohawks at 5 p.m. on Sept. 13. Then they make the short trek south to battle the host Foothills Falcons for their annual Blackout Game on Sept. 20.
