SoHo Runs Past Kirkland House, 12-6

An undefeated, unscored upon South House football squad became a scored-upon but still unbeaten team yesterday, riding two long scoring plays to a wet 12-6 victory over Kirkland.

The victory assures the rebels of a berth in next week's championship game, where the Orangemen will face either Eliot or Quincy, depending on which of those teams wins tomorrow's playoff.

Yesterday's contest started with what could have been an impressive Kirkland drive if not for the four Kirkland penalties--as a 22-yd. Tod Elkins sweep and a 25-yd. Len Busch completion proved that the SoHo defense is at least a little bit vulnerable.

The four penalties, three illegal procedures and a clipping call, killed that drive on the SoHo 45, and set a pattern for the rest of the afternoon.

Kirkland coughed the ball up on downs at the SoHo 31, and the Rebels moved sporadically down the field to take a 6-0 lead. Tom Kardish, who had been used sparingly so far this year, took the ball up the middle for three, and Scott Schereshevky followed him for five more.

Quarterback Joe Auteri then flippea a swing pass over to work horse running back Carl Murillo, who turned upfield for 11 yards and a first down at midfield.

Murillo and Kardish then combined for another first down, but three plays later, Auteri found himself in a deep hole, with a fourth and five situation on the Kirkland 33.

Completely nonplussed, he did wnat he does in pressure situations, and went to favorite tight end John Cheney. This time Auteri went with a delayed screen to the left flat, and Cheney fulfilled his part of the bargain by romping 30 yards down the sideline for the score.

K-House came right back, going 43 yards in seven plays to tie the score. A failure to move the ball on the ground forced Ryan to go to the air--and for once that strategy worked. Slater grabbed a pass on the end of a long curl pattern to put the Deacons at the 12, and two plays later Ryan lofted the ball over the defense into the arms of tight end Brian Jolley in the back of the endzone.

Hard Rain

As a heavy rain fell, South House put the game on ice midway through the third quarter, when Kardish broke through the middle of the defensive line and dashed 60 yards for a T.D., a blow from which Kirkland never recovered.

Kirkland House defensive tackle Fred Kelley explained how his team felt after it saw its record sink to 2-2. "It's fun to play football in the rain and win, but to lose in the rain is hell."

Auteri didn't exactly agree. "Winning is fun," he said, adding, "Of course, it was raining a lot less on our side of the field."

The win over Kirkland was SoHo's ninth in a row, a spanwhich stretches over two seasons.