Blue-collar approach working for Knights

What do Knights do? KNIGHTS FIGHT HARD!

That’s been sort of a rallying cry Art De Jager and his Stone Ridge Christian coaches have used since taking over the program.

Whenever a coach asks the question, “What do Knights do?” the players respond in unison, “KNIGHTS FIGHT HARD!”

This group of Knights definitely fight hard. De Jager describes his team as a bunch of blue-collar players, and when Stone Ridge Christian steps on the field, nobody is going to outwork the Knights.

From a defense that posted 10 consecutive shutouts through grit and determination. To an offense built around old-school values. The Knights have an offensive line ready to run through a concrete wall to open holes for the running backs in their smash-mouth, double-wing offense.

Facing a bigger, faster Mission of San Francisco team on Saturday afternoon in a NorCal Regional Bowl play-in game, Stone Ridge Christian was prepared for a drag-out, four-quarter brawl.

Nobody expected to see the scoreboard read: Knights 70, Bears 21.

“We thought it was going to be a dogfight the whole game,” said Stone Ridge Christian defensive end Mark Hooker, who recorded three sacks to bring his season total to a whopping 31 1/2 , which ranks third in the nation. “We knew this team could put up points on anybody. This wasn’t what we were expecting.”

Throughout the game, coaches kept reminding the players they are a 48-minute team. They were ready of four quarters of football.

The hope was the Knights’ ground-and-pound rushing attack would eventually wear down the Bears and Stone Ridge Christian could take control of the game in the second half.

Instead, the Knights took control of the game in the second quarter and the players knew it.

After Jonathan Collazo broke free for a 45-yard touchdown to give Stone Ridge Christian a 27-13 lead, as the Knights’ offense came off the field, many players talked about how the Mission players were already tired. This was with 9 minutes and 50 seconds still left in the first half.

“Our guys are football players,” Stone Ridge Christian assistant coach Anthony De Jager said. “They love to play football and they take every opportunity they can to win every play. We have a team full of workhorses.”

Collazo started the game by earning tough yards, carrying two or three tacklers. He was moving the chains with runs of seven and eight yards. By the second quarter, Mission’s defense was gassed and the Bears were trying to bring the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Collazo down with arm tackles.

Collazo was swatting defenders away with stiff arms and even flattened a Mission defender on his way to a 35-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Collazo finished with 290 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 17 carries. Fullback Austin Rees added 103 yards and three touchdowns.

The Knights racked up 515 rushing yards as a team and scored touchdowns on their first 10 possessions. Stone Ridge Christian did it despite losing leading rusher Shane Casilla, who was closing in on a 2,000-yard season, on its first drive to a leg injury.

“I was tired,” Collazo said. “But with Shane out, I had to step up and run for both of us.”

Next up on this remarkable journey for the Knights is a NorCal Regional Bowl next week.

No matter who lines up on the other side of the field, expect this group to scratch, claw or do whatever it takes to battle for 48 minutes.

Why?

Because Knights fight hard.

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 10:27 PM with the headline "Blue-collar approach working for Knights."