Landis, a 6-foot, 165-pound senior, serves the football Crusaders as a wideout and return man. And thanks to a 4.0 GPA, he entered this school year as the No. 1 student in his class.
Ask Landis to comment on that accomplishment, and the response comes close to "Aw, shucks." The last thing he's going to do is brag, but deep down you know he's proud and he's hoping, even expecting, to own the No. 1 tag come June, as well.
"The No. 2 spot has been flip-flopping and the school doesn't tell you how close guys are," Landis said. "So, there's pressure and it definitely takes hard work. I keep pushing and battling and I take it day by day. My favorite subject is math. The physics class I had last year, some guys on the football team have it now. If they ask for help, I do what I can."
As Judge triumphed, 24-14, Landis made four catches for 24 yards and posted an impressive kickoff return (though it was somewhat negated by a penalty). He made three of his snags beyond halftime, and they were important because Judge experienced hints of spinning its wheels without Smalley, who was sidelined 4:19 before halftime.
Smalley had already turned a hitch pass from Rob Daniels (12-for-22, 128 yards) into a 41-yard touchdown, and had raced for a 71-yard score on a right-side sweep.
"Not having Matt was a big loss," Landis said. "But we know we have depth at all our positions and we wound up pulling out the win."
In time, Landis mentioned his track connection with Smalley and how they rank 1-2 - or is it 2-1? - among Judge's footballers when it comes to speedburning.
"Hey, he's on the track team because of me," Landis said, smiling. "When we were having summer workouts before the 10th grade, I noticed he was running right with me and I talked to him about coming out for track. And last year, we won the Catholic League championship.
