Our Crimson Knights

Knights prevail in ‘Barbato Bowl,’ Blalock tallies three passing TDs 

The Harbaugh Brothers. The Stoops Brothers. The Barbato Brothers. As good as it gets in terms of brotherly football coaching trees. 

For those unfamiliar, Salisbury Defensive Coordinator Brent Barbato ’02 welcomed his brother Brian Barbato, the head coach of Deerfield, to Wachtmeister Field this afternoon for a game both sides always have circled on their calendars. And this year, perhaps more than usual, spectators were treated to a thrilling back-and-forth affair as the Knights got it done, 34-30. 

Salisbury moved the ball efficiently on its first drive, with quarterback Robbie Blalock ’27 connecting with wide receiver Davey Durepo ’27 on a chunk play to advance past midfield. A key third-down conversion by Kane Pritchett ’28 kept the drive alive soon after, as did a nice rush by Blalock. The plays set up Yearwood for a three-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Knights a 7-0 advantage early. 

The home crowd had plenty to cheer about when the defense took the field, too, as Colton Kelly ’28 made an excellent tackle for loss in the Deerfield backfield, halting the visitors’ drive. Salisbury was unable to maintain its initial momentum on its next drive, though, and was forced to punt. 

The score held until midway through the second quarter, when Deerfield punched it in from one yard out, tying the game at seven. Cooper Bunce ’29 made an excellent tackle in the backfield in an attempt to slow the Big Green offense during the drive, but it wasn’t enough to keep them out of the end zone. 

Luckily, the tie didn’t last long for one reason: Osi Yearwood. The future Ivy League back took the ball from Blalock at his own 18-yard line, found a gap to his left, and was quickly off to the races. A would-be tackler was pushed aside around midfield, and a crisp cutback gave the sixth former a clear route to the house. Firm downfield blocking from Pritchett and David Brickman ’27 helped secure the 82-yard touchdown. 

And while Deerfield didn’t have Yearwood, they did have the perfect play call to beat the Salisbury defense, as a 56-yard passing touchdown instantly tied the game at 14 with 4:13 to play until halftime. 

Some sloppy play from both sides closed out the first 24, and the game sat even at the break. 

A quick defensive stop by Barbato’s bunch gave Salisbury the ball back early in the third, and the offense showed its appreciation with urgency. After collecting a botched snap, Blalock rolled out to his right and tossed a dime to Pritchett, who had leaked behind the Deerfield secondary. The Penn State lacrosse commit did the rest himself, making it 21-14 following the 54-yard touchdown. 

But before the celebration had even finished, back came Deerfield, as an excellent kickoff return and a chunk play allowed the Big Green to reach pay dirt. A gutsy, successful two-point conversion gave the visitors a 22-21 lead. 

The game’s most pivotal moment came on defense, however, as Brickman undercut a route and intercepted the ball on Deerfield’s next possession. The play gave the Knights a vital “bonus” possession. 

No chance were they going to let it go to waste. 

A powerful run up the gut by Dominik Kapas ’28 got Salisbury into the red zone, allowing Blalock to hook up with Pritchett in the end zone once more. The duo has built some legitimate chemistry halfway through the season. An unsuccessful two-point try made it 27-22 with under eight minutes remaining. 

To the surprise of few in attendance, Deerfield responded to the score, methodically moving down the field and reclaiming the lead with less than five minutes to play. A second successful two-point try made it 30-27 when Salisbury got the ball back. 

And just like they did on their previous possession, the Knights took care of business when it mattered most. A key fourth-down conversion at midfield kept the drive—and the game—alive as the clock dipped under two minutes. Blalock then found Durepo all alone down the left side for a go-ahead 37-yard touchdown. A critical point-after try by Grafton Reilly ’27 put Salisbury on top, 34-30, with 1:28 to go. 

With the lead secured, one final task remained: stop the Big Green offense. 

Mission: accomplished. 

With Deerfield driving in Salisbury territory, Bunce broke into the backfield and pressured the visiting quarterback into an errant throw that Durepo intercepted. Talk about showing up in the clutch for the postgraduate receiver and defensive back. 

The victory brings Salisbury back to .500 on the season ahead of a home contest against Exeter next Saturday, October 17, during Fall Family Weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. 

Kapas scores thrice, Knights top Kent 46-13 

Dominik Kapas scored three times, Robbie Blalock tossed three touchdowns of his own, and Salisbury dominated Kent on a rainy Saturday afternoon to win 46-13. 

Salisbury jumped out to a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter when quarterback Robbie Blalock ’27 hit tailback Osi Yearwood ’27 for a 20-yard touchdown. Yearwood ran a beautiful route on the play, leaking out of the backfield slowly before turning on the jets to find a soft spot in the Kent coverage. The opening score got the Knights bench on its feet early. 

Kent responded later in the frame, cashing in on a jet sweep from 10 yards out to tie the game with less than a minute to go in the first. It didn’t take long for Salisbury to come storming back, though, as RB2 Dominik Kapas ’28 rumbled in to give the home team a 13-7 advantage. The Swedish back used all of his 6-foot-2, 230-pound frame to reach paydirt on the play. 

The big day for the running backs continued later in the first half, as Yearwood found the end zone for a second time with 2:31 remaining. This time, the Cornell commit just had to find the gap on a halfback draw from a yard out—something that has become second nature to him over the years. The score held at 19-7 at halftime. 

In the second, Coach Phelps’ team picked up right where it left off, blitzing down the field and scoring on a 28-yard pitch and catch from Blalock to Davey Durepo ’27. The Floridian QB did a bit of “backyard football” on the play, scrambling out to his right before throwing off platform to a streaking Durepo in the end zone. The entire sequence was a thing of beauty. 

The same could be said about the Knights’ fifth touchdown of the day, which came a mere three minutes later, when excellent blocking and play design allowed wide receiver Kane Pritchett ’28 to take a screen from Blalock the distance from 22 yards out, making it 32-7. 

The rout continued in the third, as Kapas’ second trip to the end zone pushed it to 39-7 with 3:36 to play. The fifth former utilized a nifty cutback on the play from 10 yards out, displaying excellent vision to find some daylight. He saved his best for last, however. 

With the Knights driving once more at the 16-yard line, Kapas received the ball from Blalock, followed his lead blocker Fiete Brockman ’29 to his left, trucked over a Kent defender, shrugged off an arm tackle, and hustled into the end zone for his third of the day. The tailback’s mix of size and speed proved to be a nightmare for the Lions all afternoon. 

A late touchdown from Kent served as the game’s final score, bringing it to 46-13. It was a masterful performance in all stages of the game for Salisbury. 

The win gets the Knights back to .500 ahead of a trip to Andover on Saturday, October 3. Start time is 5 p.m.