History of Crusader Football

Brother Hubert, S.C. Andy Russo Rod Krentel

The big change at St. Aloysius for 1967-68 was the introduction of the Naval Junior ROTC program, a first for any high school in the South. Participation was mandatory for all sophomores, juniors, and seniors. As a result, all students, including 8th and 9th graders, wore short sleeve khaki shirts and khaki pants as their normal school uniform. Those in the NJROTC program were also issued navy blue long sleeve shirts as well as a dress blues uniform for spe­cial occasions. The official activation ceremonies of the Corps were held October 27 aboard the U.S.S. Lexington docked on the Miss­issippi River next to the French Quarter. The festivities would have an impact on the Crusader football season, as we shall see. The future of the school also took an unexpected turn. Facing a huge debt, Archbishop Philip Hannan indefinitely postponed the construction of the new St. Aloysius in Ha­rahan that had been announced in September 1966. As a result, the provincial, Brother Hubert, S.C., abrogated the contract with the archdiocese in February 1967. The provincial council began exploring the feasibility of upgrading the facilities at 1137 Esplanade Avenue, starting with con­struction of a new residence for the brothers. However, architects and contractors warned that any significant addi­tion to the cramped campus such as a new residence or gym would entail shutting down the school for a year to make room for construction equipment. So the council, after consulting with the brothers throughout the province, voted unanimously in October 1967 to amalgamate St. Aloysius with Cor Jesu for the 1969-70 school year when additions to the Cor Jesu cam­pus would be completed. In the meantime, another major change in the city affected prep football. The New Orleans Saints began their first season as an NFL expansion team. The Sunday afternoon time slot at Tad Gormley Stadium suddenly became much less desirable. Also, newspapers stopped referring to Aloysius as "the Saints." Once again, Bill Arms' football staff underwent a shakeup. Jack Schommer and Pat Richard were the only returnees. Two newcomers joined them: new head basketball coach Andy Russo, former QB for Fortier, and Rod Krentel.

Coaches Arms (R) and Schommer (L) conduct practice.

• Federal Judge Frederick Heebe issued a court order in late July requir­ing the LHSAA to admit St. Augustine on the grounds that the only rea­son the association refused admission was the fact that the school was all-black.
• Purple Knight coach Eddie Flint rearranged his football schedule to re­place the Louisiana Interscholastic Athletic and Literary Organization (LIALO) opponents with the six District 5-AAA schools, starting with St. Aloysius October 13.
• Archbishop Shaw was awaiting official entry into the LHSAA and District 5-AAA at the annual principals' meeting in January 1968. In the mean­time, Milt Gaudet's Eagles would play six Catholic League foes, but the games would not count in the standings.

When practice began August 15, one Catholic League team prepped under a new coach.

• Texas-born Don Smith replaced Leemon McHenry at De La Salle.
• TP prep writer John Joly put the hat on Holy Cross to repeat as district champs with St. Aloysius fifth.
• The unknown factor was St. Augustine since the Knights had never played in the LHSAA before. Joly pegged them for third.
• Aloysius returned 20 lettermen led by southpaw senior QB Jimmy Til­lette and speedy junior HB Joe Winkler. Arms, fresh off coaching the East squad in the annual Louisiana High School All-Star Game, hoped to improve on '66's 6-4 mark.

1967 St. Aloysius Crusaders

The Crusaders again traveled to St. Bernard Parish to participate in the Chalmette Jamboree against the host school September 1.

• Aloysius scored an early TD that was set up by the defense which pushed the Owls back 22y in the first series of downs to take over at the 32 following a poor punt. Steve Duke rambled to the 9 on the first snap. Then Ray Marshall crashed over RT from there. Steve Falati left-footed the conversion.
• Later in the abbreviated half, the Knights stopped the Owls on the six-inch line. But a pitchout from Falati to Winkler was fumbled and recovered in the EZ for a safety.
• Aloysius kicked from the 20, Chalmette returning to the SA 44. From there, QB Norris Weese sprinted to his right to pass but found running room and, after shaking off two defenders, raced to pay dirt just 40 seconds after the safety. The conversion was missed, leaving the Owls in front 8-7.
• Neither team was able to mount a scoring effort in the second half.

The Crusaders started for the second straight year with a visit to Lafayette High School of District 2-AAA.

• Steve Falati would start at QB since Tillette was sidelined for three weeks with a broken right hand.
• Arms could deploy a fine stable of RBs. Besides Winkler, the roster included Garey Forster, Steve Duke, Richie Bordelon, Ray Marshall, and Walt Schwander.

SA	0	0	6	7	13
Laf	0	7	0	0	7
TDs: SA Fraught, Forster; Laf Mahfouz PAT: SA Falati (PK); Laf Lourie (PK) 1st Downs: SA 9, Laf 8; Penalties: SA 20y, Laf 30y Rushing: SA 134y, Laf 63y; Passing: SA 10-4-2/72, Laf 21-6-1/113 Fumbles Lost: SA 2, Laf 3; Punting average: SA 3/33, Laf 5/28

Garey Forster

Falati completed only 4 of 10 passes, but two went for TDs. Q1: The teams felt each other out during the scoreless quarter. Q2: Frank Foreman's Lions got the first break when S Denny Wright picked off a pass and returned it 54y to the SA 22. From the 10, QB David Luquette found Raymond Mahfouz open in the EZ. Bob Lourie's kick made it 7-0 at the half. Q3: The game rocked back and forth until, with two minutes left, Aloysius took its turn intercepting at the Lafayette 43. A hard­nosed ground game moved the ball to the 7 from where Falati connected with E Gary Fraught for 6. The Lions smothered Steve as he tried to kick the tying point. Q4: With time growing short, the Knights took possession at their 46. They ran the pigskin to the 26. From there, Falati found Forster open for a 26y TD aerial. Falati's conversion attempt was good this time, and the game ended shortly after.

We had a lot of success running the ball against Lafayette last week. Steve Falati ... did a fine job of directing the team, and Joe Winkler, junior TB, gained 85y in 12 carries. Both will be in the starting lineup when we meet Pensacola. The Tigers run from the I-formation, which we looked at last week against Lafayette, so we won't be getting anything new.

SA	0	0	0	6	6
Pen	7	0	6	3	16
TDs: SA Nick; Pen Lynch, Wright; PAT: Pen Pursell (PK); FG Pen Pursell 1st Downs: SA 14, Pen 18; Penalties: SA 43y, Pen 40y Rushing: SA 189y, Pen 163y; Passing: SA 13-4-1/41, Pen 5-3-0/22 Fumbles Lost: SA 1, Pen 0; Punting average: SA 2/22.5, Pen 4/27.8

A crowd of 4,000 at Tiger Stadium saw the Crusaders outgain the home team but lose.

• Q1: Charles Freeney picked off a Knight pass at the SA 30, but the Crusaders held and forced a punt only to fumble the ball away at their 26. Given a second chance, 5-7 QB Billy Lynch culminated the short drive with a 2y run with 4:49 left. Sonny Pursell kicked the EP.
• Q2: Neither team threatened.
• Q3: Pensacola scored on its first possession after Ernie Dawson re­turned the kickoff to the 22. Lynch guided a march that culminated with him tossing a 3y pass to Norman Wright.
• Q4: Purcell booted a 26y FG on the first play of the period to make it 16-0. Aloysius finally put a drive together, reaching the Tiger 21. But Falati missed on a fourth down pass. But when the Crusaders got the ball back, they drove 53y to avoid a shutout. Falati hit Greg Nick from the 5 with just 31 seconds remaining.

St. Aloysius-Pensacola action

The Saints traveled again but only to East Jefferson for their annual tilt.

SA	0	0	0	0	0
EJ	0	0	0	0	0
First downs: SA 8, EJ 6; Penalties: SA 25y, EJ 20y Rushing: SA 180y, EJ 45y; Passing: SA 3-0-1/0; EJ 5-2-1/33 Punting: SA 3/34, EJ 4/39; Fumbles Lost: SA 1, EJ 0

Q1: EJ's Bobby Marshall started the game with a bang by returning the opening kickoff from his 10 to the SA 13. Great blocking up the middle sprang the fleet HB loose around his own 30. The last Crusader defender hemmed Marshall in along the sideline and made the TD-saving tackle. That stop loomed large when, after three running plays gained only 3y, Juan Roca (future LSU kicker) attempted a FG that was low. However, the Crusaders were offside. So EJ took the penalty and gambled for a first down but were stopped a yard short. After forcing a punt, the Warriors again drove deep, reaching the 5 before a clipping penalty took the starch out of the threat. Roca came on again but missed wide and low. Q2: Another big break was handed East Jeff early in the form of a fumbled punt recovery on the SA 15. But after gaining a first down at the 4, sloppy execution pre­vented a TD, leading to another Roca try which again sailed low and wide. The half ended with the Crusaders unable to climb out of the hole. Q3: Winkler returned the kickoff past midfield to finally give the Saints good field position. Three first downs moved the ball inside the 10 where a fumble ended the threat. Neither team could move in the heavy turf, and another scoreless period passed into history. Q4: EJ had to punt from its 28, and the return set up the Crusaders on their 36. Three plays ground out a first on the 47. On the next series, SA faced 4th and 4 on the EJ 46 and gambled. Forster was stopped briefly at the line of scrim­mage but sprang loose and rolled to a first down inside the 30. Winkler carried to the 14. But the Warriors braced and, on fourth down, Arms called on Falati to boot a 25y FG. It had the distance but was wide to the right with 5:07 on the clock. Shortly afterwards, Steve Duke thrilled the rain-soaked crowd by getting behind a wall of blockers and rolling 22y with a punt. Only a TD-saving tackle by Tom Brock stopped him. Tillette burst to the EJ 28, but the threat died when Marshall intercepted Jimmy's pass and returned it to the SA 48 with 1:38 left. EJ, however, could not generate a threat with the wet ball.

Joe Winkler

The Crusaders now prepared for their final pre-district game against Behrman.

SA	13	7	9	7	36
Beh	6	0	0	0	6
TDs: SA Tillette 3, Winkler, Schwander; Beh Sire FG: SA Falati; PAT: SA Falati 3 (PK) 1st Downs: SA 13, Beh 5; Penalties: SA 30y, Beh 40y Rushing: SA 201y, Beh 31y; Passing: SA 12-2-0/32, Beh 11-2-0/22 Fumbles Lost: SA 2, Beh 2; Punting: SA 3/33.7, Beh 6/32.3

Jimmy Tillette

Q1: The Knights scored on their first possession on the short­est possible drive. A high snap from C on a Bee punt attempt gave SA the ball on the 1. Tillette snuck over on the first play, and Falati booted the first of his three conversions. Later, Les Sire picked up Winkler's fumble on the Behrman 30 and rambled 70y to pay dirt. Mike McMenemon blocked the PAT to preserve the one-point lead. Winkler atoned for his miscue by returning the kickoff 72y to the 15. Two plays later, Tillette rolled out around RE and sailed into the EZ. Falati's PAT sailed wide right. Q2: Another Bee mistake set up the next TD as Steve Lusigan fumbled a punt on the 12, and Keith Reboul recovered. It took six plays, but finally Tillette pushed in from the 1. Q3: Aloysius received the kickoff and marched 73y in seven plays to its fourth TD. Winkler skirted RE for the final 33. A little later, a 40y punt return by Duke put the ball on the 19. The Crusaders couldn't move and settled for Falati's 40y FG. Q4: The Saints topped off the scoring on an 11-play, 61y march that ended with FB Schwander bucking over from the 1.

Saints' D awaits next play.

The Esplanade Saints now opened district play with De La Salle.

The Cavaliers hadn't missed a beat under their new coach, starting 4-0 and earning the #1 spot in the latest AAA rankings. But that slot had proved to be a jinx as the previous three occupants had all lost. With #1 QB Robbie Juul still on the sidelines, Smith would go with back­up Paul Seckso under C. Arms pronounced his team ready. We will be in the best shape since the season started. Steve [Chaplain], our speedy HB who has been clocked in 10.0 and 10.1 for the hundred, is at full speed again, and Falati, our backup QB, is also okay. We've prepared very well for this game, and the fact that De La Salle is ranked No. 1 in this week's poll will give our lads additional incentive to come up with a winning effort. Bill would count on DT Jeff Dill, DE Danny Folse, and LB Keith Steger to continue their stalwart play. WDSU broadcast the game on radio.

Steve Chaplain

SA	0	0	0	13	13
DLS	0	7	0	7	14
TDs: SA Bordelon, Briede; DLS Fernandez, Stein PAT: SA Falati (PK); DLS Stein 2 (PK) 1st Downs: SA 10, DLS 12; Penalties: SA 15y, DLS 15y Rushing: SA 97y, DLS 102y; Passing: SA 12-6-0/94, DLS 15-8-1/114 Fumbles Lost: SA 0, DLS 0; Punting: SA 5/29.1, DLS 4/34.3

6,300 saw the Crusaders come within an EP of spoiling the Cavalier home­coming in another "mud bath."

• Q1: Late in the quarter, SA moved from its 27 to the Cav 36, where they elected to try for the first down on 4th-and-1 only to have the front wall stop Winkler for no gain. DLS then began a march that carried into Q2. A key moment was Seckso connecting with HB Lenny Stein for 21y to the SA 38.
• Q2: On the first play, Stein dropped back in punt formation but took the snap and found a hole at LT, racing 30y to the SA 7. On fourth down, HB Jerry Fernandez sliced through RT from 2y out. The versatile Stein booted the PAT with 9:43 left.
• Q3: On the final play of the period, Brian Chappuis went back to punt. But he fumbled the snap, and his knee touched the ground on the 4.
• Q4: FB Bordelon smashed into the line for 2y, then did it again for 6 points. Falati's conversion tied the game at 7. The Cavaliers then embarked on a march to take the lead again. The clincher came on a 5y pass from Seckso to Stein. Lenny again booted the all-important EP. With time ticking away, Tillette hit E Al Briede for a 46y TD. But Falati's PAT to tie failed.

• The Purple Knights had won three in a row after an opening loss to Washington of Lake Charles. The victims were McKinley of Baton Rouge, John Martyn, and Landry. All four foes were former rivals of St. Aug. in the LIALO, the association of African-American high schools.
• Eddie Flint's "bread and butter" player was fleet HB Richie Solomon. Floyd Sandle and Jackie Wallace (future NFL DB) would alternate at QB.
• The Knights boasted a huge offensive led by 260 lb Wendell Bell, 230 lb Bill Anderson, and 274 lb sophomore Coleman St. Clair.

SA	0	0	7	0	7
StAug	7	13	6	0	26
TDs: SA Schwander; StAug Solomon, Wiltz, Sandle, Howard PAT: SA Falati (PK); StAug Wiltz (run), McKay (PK) 1st Downs: SA 12, StAug 16; Penalties: SA 11y, StAug 74y Rushing: SA 126y, StAug 312y; Passing: SA 23-6-2/103, StAug 11-8-0/159 Fumbles Lost: SA 0, StAug 3; Punting: SA 4/31.3, StAug 4/18.1

10,000 spectators had been anticipated, but twice that many witnessed St. Aug.'s successful LHSAA debut.

• Q1: After halting SA's opening drive with Mack McKay's INT on their 8, the Purple Knights drove 92y. Solomon capped the march with a 19y run. FB Stan Wiltz ran for the EP (still no 2-point conversion in high school ball).
• Q2: St. Aug. scored again with 2:16 left when Wiltz blasted through from 3y out. The biggest gain on the drive came on a 36y pass from Sandle to Solomon to the 8. The Saders blocked McKay's PAT kick. Shortly afterward, 205 lb senior E Bob Stevenson picked off an errant Falati pass at the SA 47 and returned it 11y. Six plays later, Sandle kept and snaked his way 26y to pay dirt with just 28 seconds left. McKay's placement made it 20-0.
• Q3: A quick TD removed any doubt as to which side would win. On the Knights' first possession, Sandle lofted an easy, floating spiral downfield to Melvin Howard racing behind the secondary. Howard pulled in the pigskin at the 25 and ran in unmolested. McKay's kick was again block­ed. Later, the Crusaders' lone score was set up as a result of a bad snap in punt formation. Roland Evans recovered the ball on his own 11 and got off a hurried boot that resulted in a -21y kick to his 25. Four plays later, Schwander crashed over from the 3.
• Q4: St. Aug. threatened early in the period when they drove to the 7. But Solomon fumbled after a 3y gain, and Dill recovered.

The Baton Rouge Advocate article on the game betrayed the apprehensions of the day when it included this line: There were no incidents.

St. Aloysius-St. Augustine action

Tillette dives into the line as Bordelon follows.


L: Tillette runs vs. St. Aug. R: Falati calls the play in the huddle.

L: Mike McMenemon tries to block St. Aug. kick; R: Tillette surveys the Purple Knight D.

• The Blue Jays came off a tough 22-13 loss to pre-season favorite Holy Cross in a game in which the Jays outplayed the Bengals except on the scoreboard.
• In their opening district game, the Blue Jays edged Redemptorist 6-0.
• Dale Oser and Curt Forshag alternated at QB-TB in Ray Coates' multi­ple offense.

SA	0	7	0	6	13
Jes	0	0	13	7	20
TDs: SA Schwander, Tillette; Jes Joint 2, Tureaud PAT: SA Falati (PK); Jes Marino 2 (PK) First downs: SA 12, Jes 4; Penalties: SA 37y, Jes 10y Rushing: SA 167y, Jes 102y; Passing: SA 12-6-1/43, Jes 11-6-1/129 Fumbles Lost: SA 2, Jes 1; Punting: SA 8/35.0, Jes 9/37.5

Q1: Both teams, coming off losses, seemed listless during the scoreless period. Q2: Aloysius drew first blood on a 36y RE sweep by Schwander. Falati's conversion made it 7-0. Q3: T Ronald O'Dwyer pounced on Duke's fumble at the SA 18 to set up Jesuit's first TD which came with 3:52 left on Forshag's scoring strike to E George Joint. Joe Marino's PAT kick was wide. However, the Jays took command shortly after when they received a punt on their 26. Two plays later, sophomore Rod Tureaud, Jesuit's first African-American player, found a hole at RT, shook off Danny Folse's tackle at the 30, then got by Duke at the 10 to complete a 74y scoring gallop. Q4: The Saints tied the score midway through the period. Falati ran 25y for a TD aided by T Brad Theard, who took out S Ricky Harris. However, Steve's attempt at the go-ahead point sailed wide. The Crimson euphoria didn't last long as Jesuit took the kickoff and, starting from their 27, took only three plays to score on a sparkling 67y pass from Forshag to Joint. Curt drifted to his left, spotted George streaking downfield, and hit his E, who outran the secondary across the goal line. Marino converted. But the Crusaders didn't pack it in. Although called for two off­side penalties in a row, they moved to the Jesuit 36. But Schwander fumbled and Hal Gilbert gathered in the pigskin to enable the Jays to run out the remaining 1:25.

Danny Folse Brad Theard

With Winkler limited to only 19y on nine carries, Schwander led all rushers with 97y on the same number of carries.

St. Aloysius-Jesuit Action

L: Winkler finds going tough; R: Winkler and Saucier swarm Blue Jay ball carrier.

L: Duke breaks up a pass; R: Blue Jays smother Schwander.

L: Bordelon picks up first down on second effort. R: Reboul and Richter cause a fumble.

Tillette options to Schwander.

• John Kalbacher's Tigers had just outlasted St. Augustine 29-21 before 24,500 to keep their district record unblemished.
• The win vaulted HC into the #2 spot in the AP state rankings.
• The powerful Tiger offense was led by QB Bob Wattigney and HBs Ken­ny Hrapmann and Ronnie Quick.

SA	0	0	0	0	0
HC	6	0	26	7	39
TDs: Truax, K. Hrapmann 2, Knowles, Quick 2 PAT: K. Hrapmann (PK), Moore (PK), B. Hrapmann (PK) First downs: SA 6, HC 18; Penalties: SA 21y, HC 20y Rushing: SA 104y, HC 318y; Passing: SA 11-5-1/49, HC 7-3-1/31 Fumbles lost: SA 4, HC 0; Punting: SA 4/35.7, HC 1/37.0

The Tigers again shutout the Crusaders, making their two-year score 71-0.

• Q1: Jesse Truax put HC on the scoreboard after 11:52 had been played when he snagged an 8y pass from Wattigney at the goal line and fell in­to the EZ. The drive covered only 39y after a pair of favorable punt ex­changes.
• Q2: The Tigers threatened again, gaining four first downs from their 26 to the SA 24 as the right side of the line opened huge holes. But when Wattigney decided to go to the air, Winkler picked off the pass at the 1 and returned it 23y. The Crusaders then moved to a first down at the HC 21. But Winkler, after gaining 13, fumbled with 45 seconds on the clock. Still, the Saints felt fine as they went to the dress­ing room trailing by only 6.
• Q3: The roof fell in on Aloysius. Hrapmann started the onslaught by ra­cing 62y to make it 13-0. Then LB Chuck Knowles returned an errant Tillette pass 31y to pay dirt. A little later, Winkler fumbled at the SA 37, and Gene Garcia recovered for HC. Six plays later, Quick plunged over from the 1. But the misery wasn't over yet. Tom Besselman recovered a loose ball at the Tiger 48. Hrapmann completed the drive from 5y out with 11 seconds left to play.
• Q4: Quick concluded the scoring with a 3y run.

The Rummel Raiders came into their contest with the Crusaders off two shut­out victories in a row.

• Joe Galliano's boys took a 15-0 win over West Bank rival Shaw before upsetting fellow Christian Brothers school De La Salle 7-0 to even their district slate at 2-2.
• Like several other Catholic league teams, including Aloysius, Rummel alternated signal-callers in the persons of Steve Sanders and Norman Hodgins.

SA	0	7	0	0	7
Rum	0	0	0	0	0
TD: SA Tillette; PAT: SA Falati (PK) 1st Downs: SA 11, Rum 5; Penalties: SA 10y, Rum 12y Rushing: SA 209y, Rum 91y; Passing: SA 2-1-0/13, Rum 6-2-1/43 Fumbles Lost: SA 1, Rum 1; Punting: SA 6/25.5, Rum 5/33.2

The cellar-dwelling Crusaders ground out the victory to end their four-game losing streak.

• Q1: The muddy turf confined both teams to straight ahead power plays with a total of only eight passes thrown during the game. The Crusa­ders enjoyed favorable field position almost the entire first half.
• Q2: Midway through, Tillette, who led all ground gainers with 80y on 11 carries, scampered 7y for the only TD of the evening. The score climaxed a 57y drive that numbered 13 snaps. After returning the kickoff to the 47, Rummel almost came back to knot the score. A 31y pass from Hod­gins to Stephen Lockhart gave the Raiders their lone first down of the half on the 18. But the defense rose up and stopped them just inches shy of the 8 on fourth down.
• Q3: Taking the kickoff, the Saints put together the only sustained drive of the half as they moved from their 46 to the Rummel 26. But a fumbled pitchout ended the advance.
• Q4: The Raiders could not mount a threat as the Crusader D gave them a dose of their own shutout medicine, holding them to 134y of offense.

St. Aloysius-Rummel Action

Schwander turns the corner despite the sloppy field.

The commissioner also fined St. Aug. $100 and placed the school on probation for one year. In addition to being ineligible for championship honors, the school had to forfeit the three district games in which the ineligible players participa­ted, which included their game against St. Aloysius.

The school appealed the ruling to the Executive Committee, which would hear the case at its meeting the following Wednesday. St. Augustine's attorney also informed Waters that the school was applying for a restraining order against the ruling.

The issue for the players involved not passing enough state-approved sub­jects during the second semester of the 1966-7 school year or not taking at least four approved courses during the current semester. Of course, during the 1966-7 session, St. Aug. followed the rules of the LIALO.

The Crusaders set their sights on Redemptorist, which sported a 4-1 district record after defeating the depleted Purple Knights.

• With Holy Cross as their final opponent, the Rams had a chance to tie for the district championship if they defeated Aloysius and then HC.
• Billy Chimento's defense led the district, allowing only 20 points.
• Offensively, HBs Nolan Pritchard, Eddie Lehmann, and Tim Scully and FB Arnold White carried the load.

SA	7	0	7	7	21
Red	0	6	0	0	6
TDs: SA Briede, Nick, Schwander; Red Lehmann PAT: SA Falati 3 (PK) 1st Downs: SA 17, Red 7; Penalties: SA 45y, Red 42y Rushing: SA 204y, Red 117y; Passing: SA 8-?-1/71, Red 6-?-0/8 Fumbles Lost: SA 0, Red 0; Punting: SA 4/25.8, Red 4/31.3

The Crusaders played their best game of the season to celebrate homecom­ing. The Big Red line opened holes throughout the evening to amass 204y rushing.

Mike McMenemon

Q1: The Rams got the first break when Aloysius tried a HB pass that ended up in the hands of DB Raul Chaves at the SA 14. But the Knights would not yield and took over on downs at the 12. From there, they moved 88y in 15 plays. The final play was a successful HB pass from Winkler to Briede who was wide open in the EZ. Falati converted to make it 7-0 with less than a minute left in the period. Q2: Redemptorist fought right back as QB Billy Garrity moved his unit 67y in 16 plays. The big gainer came on the fourth play when he ran 19y from punt formation. Lehman got the call from the 2 and fell into the EZ. McMenemon blocked the PAT to pre­serve the one-point lead. Q3: Aloysius took the kickoff and moved 70y to increase its mar­gin. The 15th and last snap saw Tillette tossing 10y to Nick, who battled two defenders for the score. Falati's split the up­rights with 5:47 left. Q4: The Saints put the icing on the cake midway through the quarter when Schwander's 1y plunge climaxed a 65y march.

• On November 21, the Executive Committee ruled in favor of Redempto­rist and ordered the game forfeited to the Rams.
• In addition, the player in question, Steve Falati, was declared ineligible for the rest of the school year.
• The committee also placed Aloysius on one-year probation.

The dispute centered around the exact date that the first marking period end­ed at St. Aloysius.

• Under LHSAA rules, eligibility requirements go into effect the Wednesday following the last day of the marking period.
• Brother Flavian had postponed the due date for first quarter grades because of the NJROTC Activation Day ceremonies October 27. So he claimed the date for verifying eligibility for the next marking period was November 15.
• The committee ruled that November 8 was the correct date and that Falati, who hadn't passed three "major subjects," should not have played in the November 10 game against Redemptorist.

The Crusaders ended the season with Archbishop Shaw.

• Though not set to join the district until 1968, the Eagles scheduled six District 5-AAA foes (all except St. Aug.). Milt Gaudet's team had lost all five of those games thus far. So the Crusaders didn't want to be their lone victim.
• The Shaw offense was geared around the passing and running of QB Lenny Dantin, Henry Hannan, and Pepper Martin.

SA	7	6	0	0	13
AS	0	7	0	0	7
TDs: SA Bordelon 2; AS Hannan PAT: SA Winkler (PK); AS Crovello (PK) 1st Downs: SA 16, AS 11; Penalties: SA 50y, AS 5y Rushing: SA 236y, AS 77y; Passing: SA 3-1-0/11, AS 25-7-2/66 Fumbles Lost: SA 3, AS 0; Punting: SA 3/26.6, AS 4/42.5

• Q1: After Shaw was unable to move with the kickoff, Aloysius started a drive from their 44. Throwing no passes, the Crusaders scored on Bordelon's plunge from the 1. Winkler, pressed into service as kicker after Falati became ineligible (no question about the date for this game), split the uprights.
• Q2: After the ball changed hands several times, the Crusaders blocked a punt to take possession on the Shaw 16. Again it was Bordelon who did the honors, slamming through from 6y out five plays later. Winkler missed this time to leave the score 13-0. At this point, the Eagles finally picked up momentum, unleashing a 44y TD drive that ended with only seconds remaining. Dantin's 23y pass to Martin was the big gainer. Hannan forced his way into the EZ from a yard out. Steve Crovetto's PAT made it 13-7.
• Second half: Aloysius drove to the 1 only to be stopped by a fumble. Shaw was also in scoring range several times but couldn't finish with points.

Final stats for the year:

• Total offense:
  Tillette 483 (330y rushing, 153 passing) - #8 in district
• Rushing:
  Winkler 127/590y - #4
  Tillette 83/379y - #12
• Passing:
  Falati 26/67, 351y - #6
  Tillette 36/13, 164y - #12
• Pass receptions:
  Briede 14/178y/2 TD - #8
• Scoring:
  Tillette 30 pts. - #11

• Holy Cross defeated Chalmette 27-6 in the first round of the playoffs. However, the district runner-up, Jesuit, lost to South Terrebonne 13-7.
• The Tigers lost the coin flip and had to travel to Shreveport to meet District 1-AAA champion Woodlawn. No problem as HC eliminated the Knights and their outstanding junior QB Joe Ferguson 25-13 before a crowd of 15,000.
• So for the second year in a row, Kalbacher's Bengals reached the state finals. And history also repeated itself in that the Tigers lost, this time to Airline 20-7 on another trip to Shreveport.

Aloysius placed one lineman on each of the Times-Picayune's 5-AAA offensive and defensive teams. 5-10 205 lb senior G Mike McMenemon made the offensive eleven and, more importantly, also earned a spot on the all-state team. Jeff Dill, 5-10 215 lb junior, occupied one of the T positions on the defense. The lengthy Honorable Mention list included: E - Al Briede, Greg Nick T - Brad Theard G - Keith Steger, Danny Folse C - George Buchert OB - Joe Winkler, Water Schwander LB - Richard Bordelon DB - Steve Falati

Coach Arms presents Mike McMenemon his All-State trophy.

• The defense generally played solid ball. Throw out the St. Augustine and Holy Cross games, and opponents averaged just 8.4 ppg.
• No one replaced Larry Tillman under C as the Crusaders topped the 100y mark in passing just once and then just barely - 103 vs St. Aug. Arms abandoned the airways in the final three games, all victories against physically inferior opponents.
• Teams that finish -7 in turnover differential don't generally experience winning seasons. So the Crusaders were fortunate to break even at 5-5-1.

1968 Season

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