Jacob Suever is an ASU student journalist assigned to report on McClintock High School.

The McClintock Chargers lost to the Notre Dame Preparatory Saints 61-7 on Friday night. 

McClintock’s offense struggled to get going and never found its rhythm. A main factor that contributed to this was a string of injuries that occurred both before and during the game.

Senior quarterback Peter Clark was taken out at the beginning of the second half after attempting only four passes in the first half. Clark was dealing with pain in the index finger on his throwing hand after making a tackle on a punt return in the second quarter. This forced the Chargers to stick to a run-based approach in the first half, although the team’s passing has been one of its stronger suits this season. 

Additionally, the Chargers were without star receivers Avaunt Ortiz and Dwight Waite. Coach Mike Fell said after the game that neither player would return this season due to injuries. 

Waite and Ortiz have been X-factors for McClintock’s offense, and with the combination of Clark’s slow start and the absence of two star receivers, McClintock just could not get going. 

So far this season, Clark has led the team in rushing and passing, and also served as the team’s punter. Waite has been the team’s leading receiver, averaging 20 more yards per game than the second leading receiver on McClintock’s offense, Lawrence Monroe.

A highlight for McClintock came on the first play of the third quarter when Monroe ran back the second half kickoff 85 yards for McClintock's first score of the game. 

Although he did not log any receptions in Friday’s contest, Monroe’s impact as a team leader can be felt.

“Lawrence is a great leader,'' linebacker Bo Martinez said. "It reflects back on us. He showed us how to not give up as a team."

Receiver Amarr Baker also had a lot of good things to say about Monroe’s leadership.

“Lawrence knows how to take control when he needs to,'' Baker said. "Lawrence is like the offensive leader, the leader of the receiving core. He keeps everyone’s spirits up." 

A positive to take from Friday night’s performance was that the Chargers got to take a look at another quarterback, sophomore Ruben Palmerin. Palmerin entered in the second half, replacing Clark. 

Although the Chargers stuck to their run-heavy script, Palmerin had the opportunity to complete a few passes and get some younger receivers involved, including Baker and freshman Khalil Bender. 

In addition to Palmerin, backup quarterback Nathaniel Estrada saw a few snaps in the fourth quarter. He was forced to be checked for a concussion after taking a hit on a quarterback run. Estrada returned to the game after officials confirmed he was good to go. 

Senior running back Daniel Crawford also saw a heavy workload.

As for the Saints, the connection between Notre Dame junior quarterback Noah Trigueros and sophomore receiver Cooper Perry was perhaps the story of the night. Running back Jason Samis also had an efficient game. 

Said Fell: “They’re good, they’re real good."

The Saints improve to 2-1. The loss drops the Chargers to 1-3.