CBC pulls away in second half to win showdown against Cardinal Ritter

By Warren Mayes, Special to the Post-Dispatch

TOWN AND COUNTRY — It was a good day at the office for CBC senior quarterback Nick McClellan.

He scored two touchdowns and threw for another, leading the Cadets to a 34-12 nonconference football victory over the Cardinal Ritter Lions at Spinelli Field.

CBC improved to 2-0. Ritter fell to 0-2.

McClellan, who has verbally committed to Kansas State, threw for 191 yards on 10 of 19 passing. He rushed for 73 yards on eight carries.

“It was a good day, but I can do better,” McClellan said. “We got it going when we had to. We changed the momentum in our favor out there tonight.”

CBC coach Scott Pingel said he was expecting a hard-fought game, and that’s what happened in a showdown between the two area powers.

It is believed to be the first meeting between the programs.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty, but that happens sometimes when two good teams play each other,” Pingel said. “There was a lot of good defense out there.”

Recent state championships

CBC won Class 6 in 2021 and 2022 and was the runner-up in 2023.

Ritter won Class 5 in 2023 and Class 3 in 2022.

Ellis roars for Lions

Senior running back Manny Ellis, who has committed to Indiana State, ran a kickoff back for a 93-yard touchdown. The 5-foot-7, 185-pound Ellis also scored on a 99-yard touchdown run.

“Manny did what I expected him to do,” Ritter coach Brennan Spain said. “He’s a young man who is one of the top sprinters in the state. He’s built to carry the load. Kudos to Manny. He’s a veteran and a great guy and a great teammate.”

To the house

On the opening kickoff, Ellis went up the middle, faked to the left and turned route and scored untouched at 11:44 for a 6-0 lead.

“We’ve been working on that all summer long,” Ellis said. “Last year, we didn’t do the best on special teams and we wanted to emphasize that this year. Coach has made sure we’re getting it right this year.”

When Ellis picked up the football, he saw an opening.

“There was a huge gap,” Ellis said. “I knew I got to hit it and go. No hesitation. I showed my track speed. A shoutout to my track coaches and football coaches for working me.”

It was his first kickoff return for a touchdown.

CBC defense comes up big

The Cadets went three-and-out after Ellis' touchdown, and the Lions drove to the CBC 1-yard line.

But CBC stopped Ritter on a fourth-down play and changed the game's momentum.

“Our defense played lights out,” Pingel said.

Spain lamented the chance his Lions missed there.

“We had an opportunity there early to put them on their heels there,” Spain said. “We just couldn’t finish there. If we had gotten up by two scores there, it could have been a different game.

“But woulda, coulda and shoulda aside, we just have to get better.”

Screen pass to paydirt

CBC scored on its possession after stopping Ritter.

Senior running back Courtney Rivers caught a floating screen pass and turned it in six points. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Rivers broke two tackles and raced down the left side for a 48-yard touchdown with 1:43 left in the first quarter. Junior Corde Gage booted the extra point, giving CBC a 7-6 lead.

Score just before halftime

The Cadets got possession with 2:02 left in the half on the Lions’ 45. After a couple of penalties, CBC faced a third-and-13 from the 32. McClellan hit senior Jayden Reed in the flat and he raced to the 1. With 7.4 seconds showing, McClellan scored on a keeper. Gage kicked the point after, lifting CBC to a 14-6 lead at intermission.

“That’s a big deal there,” Pingel said. “We just battled out there. I asked the guys to give us everything they had tonight and they did.”

Big plays

CBC had two big plays in its drive to begin the third quarter. On a second-and-7 play, McClellan’s pass was tipped by Ritter’s senior safety Joquez Beck. However, Reed caught it at the Lions 20 for a 28-yard gain.

Two plays later, Williams scooted in around left end from the 16 to score at the 9:50 mark for a 21-6 CBC advantage.

Costly turnover

Three plays later, CBC junior middle linebacker Cole Rivers scooped up a fumble around the 20-yard line and ran in for a touchdown at 8:45. The extra point made 28-6.

Sophomore Quintin Porter knocked the ball loose. Rivers picked it up on one hop and ran it in.

“Our defensive line made a great play,” Rivers said. “I just saw the ball and took it in. This was my first touchdown on defense. It was pretty exciting.”

Never stop running

Gage pinned the Lions back when his punt was downed at the Ritter 1.

Ellis ran off the right side. He appeared to be down at the 10 but recovered and galloped 99 yards for a touchdown at 3:37. The two-point pass failed, leaving CBC ahead 28-12.

“That was just hard work and effort,” Ellis said. “The offensive line gets the credit. I never touched the ground. I just kept running. I never heard a whistle so I just kept going.

“There was a lot of green in front of me. I love seeing all that green. It was a great play for me, but a big shoutout to my offensive line.”

Fourth quarter

McClellan scored on a 10-yard keeper with 6:39 to play, putting CBC up 34-12. A poor snap foiled the extra point attempt.

Lions freshman QB

Rylan Moore, a 5-8, 155-pound freshman, came in to play quarterback for Ritter on its first possession in the second half. He played the rest of the game.

Moore finished with 45 yards on 4 of 8 passing.

“He has a quick release,” Spain said. “The team loves him. They support him. He’s kind of like a sparkplug for us.”