COLONY Nick McAnulty was honest to the point of modesty Thursday evening.
Did he deliver a message of inspiration at halftime of Crests playoff opener, or devise a new scheme to befuddle the Lancer opponents from Marais des Cygnes Valley?
Was there a secret behind Crests dominating third quarter, which saw the Lancers turn a 12-12 halftime deadlock into a 50-12 blowout?
No, came down to blocking, he said. I told the guys we were gonna find guys who could block and open holes. When weve had openings, we were scoring.
The openings allowed a stable of Crest runners to take advantage.
Stratton McGhee was the early star, scoring both Lancer touchdowns in the first half, including a dazzling 71-yard touchdown on his first touch of the night.
But after McGhees early eruption, which included another 30-yard scoring run, Crest was unable to convert on other scoring chances.
Twice, the Lancers drive deep into MDCV territory before faltering.
And on defense, Crest had trouble containing Marais des Cygnes Valleys Cole Lacey at quarterback. The strong-armed sophomore connected with Trojan receivers to keep the Lancers on their heels.
His 37-yard touchdown run on a keeper late in the second half tied the score at 12-12.
Then came halftime on the cold Halloween night.
The Lancers emerged on fire; Marais des Cygnes, not so much.
Crest marched down the field to open the third period, capped by McGhees 20-yard scoring run to trigger the subsequent avalanche.
Marquez Coleman followed McGhees hat trick with three touchdowns of his own, a pair of 1-yard keepers sandwiched around a 20-yard run.
Colemans final score pushed the lead to 42-12 early in the fourth period.
