A "slim turnout" saw the Crusaders defeat an Eagle team that showed marked improvement from '67.

• Q1: SA got on the scoreboard on their first play following an Easton fumble by E. J. Vitrano that E Gill Shaw recovered at the WE 18. Winkler immediately ran into the EZ. New kicking specialist Bobby Azzarello booted the first of four PATs to make it 7-0 with only 1:29 elapsed. Later, Aloysius marched 78y for its second tally, Winkler capping the drive from 15 out. Aided by a 29y kickoff return by John Gathe and a 15y personal foul penalty on the Crusaders, the Eagles scored with 1:46 left on a 1y sneak by QB Joe Bondio to finish the 50y march. The kick failed.
• Q2: Neither team could sustain a drive.
• Q3: A fumble recovery by Gary Leaumont near midfield set up the Knights' next TD. Thibaut, whose father, James Sr., was a star HB for Aloysius in 1936-37, did the honors from the 1.
• Q4: Easton struck on the first play of the period on a nifty screen pass from Bondio to Matthew Warren good for 12y. Bondio's conversion cut the lead to 21-13. Aloysius finally sewed up the contest in the final 1:16 when Bordelon culminated a 93y drive by speeding 30y. The Eagles had time for three plays but reached only their 31 when the clock ran out.

The Crusaders gave "their finest team performance in years" (The Aloysian) to end the Tiger victory streak.

• Giving Holy Cross a taste of its own "three yards and a cloud of dust" medicine, the Crusaders drove 74y in 19 plays to score with 55 seconds left in the half. The march took shape when Fraught made a great defensive play. HC had 4th and 1 on the SA 22. Prats started wide right, but Gary barreled over blockers to drop him for a 4y loss.
• Not once, not twice, but three times on the ensuing drive, Arms rolled the dice on 4th down.
  • Facing 4th and 1 on the SA 36, Bordelon gained 2y.
  • On 4th and 2 at the HC 44, QB Williams faked to the FB and kept for 5.
  • Sabrio came back in at QB and took a turn making hearts beat faster. Playing 4th and 8 at the 37, he found room up the middle to the 25 when a screen pass broke down.
• Winkler broke loose to the 7, and SA called timeout with 1:07 left. Dennis gained 2 and called another timeout with an even minute on the clock. He then rolled left, ducked inside his T, and danced into the EZ. Azzarello's PAT bounced over the crossbar.
• The Aloysius D fought off several Tiger attacks. On successive plays, Briede and Dill tackled Ludman for big losses after HC reached the SA 18. INTs by Schmidt and Evans also stopped enemy thrusts.
• Finally, the Saints gained possession near midfield with less than a minute remaining. Sabrio fell on the ball twice, then watched bedlam break loose among the Crusader fans in the crowd of over 10,000.

Aloysius ended its series with Holy Cross, which began in 1922, with a record of 7-38-1.

Alternating QBs Sabrio and Williams led two Q2 TD drives, then turned the game over to the defense, which, as in the Holy Cross game, preserved the hard-earned victory.

• After a scoreless Q1, Schmidt intercepted Wallace's pass on the SA 49 and returned it to the Aug 31 to set the first TD drive in motion. Williams ran 8y for the score with 8:45 on the clock.
• Later, an interference penalty and two fine runs by Schwaner and Duke set up Winkler's 1y plunge with 1:13 remaining. The elated Saders left the field at halftime with a 13-0 advantage.
• As the clock wound down in Q4, the Purple Knights, held to a mere 40y on the ground, took to the air to cut into the lead on Wallace's 40y toss to Valiant Cuiellette.

The John Dibert Post 351, Veterans of Foreign Wars, committee se­lected Winkler as the outstanding amateur athlete of the month of September. Joly described Joe's qualifications this way:

• The Cavaliers hadn't missed a beat under their third coach in three years. Joe Raitano served the previous year under Don Smith, who departed to Southwestern Louisiana.
• Raitano led an undefeated team ranked #2 statewide. He enjoyed the talents of QB Robbie Juul, whose knee injury midway through the '67 campaign had dashed the Cavs' district title hopes.
• Juul called signals for a stable of speedy backs led by FB Paul Seckso, a 185 lb senior who led the district in scoring, and Scott Chappuis. Robbie could also throw the ball to E Don Michel.
• 230 lb G Tyler Lafauci (future LSU stalwart) and tackles Steve Odenheimer and 6'6" Alan Evers anchored the largest forward wall in the league.
• The Cavs rolled over St. Augustine (21-6), Holy Cross (20-0), Shaw (37-0), Rummel (19-14), and Chalmette (27-13) to claim the undisputed district lead.
• WDSU radio broadcast the game, which served as DLS's home­coming.

7,500 saw a "bruising and head-knocking defensive battle" that wasn't settled until the final minute.

• Q1: On the fourth play of the game, Juul injured his other knee, not the one he hurt almost a year to the day earlier, and never return­ed to the game. He had engineered two first downs to bring the pigskin to the SA 26. Danny Tingstrom took the reins and immedi­ately threw an 11y pass to Michel to the SA 15. However, a perso­nal foul penalty brought the ball back to the 31, where the defense stiffened and took over.
• Q2: The scoreless deadlock continued. Shortly before halftime, Alo­ysius lost Schwander for the rest of the contest.
• Q3: The Cavs drove from their 38 to the SA 1 where the Crusaders held. But a 29y punt gave DLS good position again, and, two plays later, a Tingstrom pass to Chappuis from the 21 produced the game's first TD with 2:58 on the clock. Wayne St. Pierre converted. Aloysius then took the kickoff and started a march that straddled the period change.
• Q4: DLS finally took over on their 13. But three plays gained only 9. So Chappuis came in for another of the evening's 13 punts. But his poorest effort traveled only 16y to the 38. The Crusaders took ad­vantage of the good field position to tie the game. Three plays moved the ball to the 11, and junior WB Max Richter took it the rest of the way. Azzarello's PAT made it 7-7. But the Cavaliers cranked up a drive deep into SA territory that culminated in a 14y strike from Tingstrom to Michel for the winning score with less than a minute left.

• Q1: Cor Jesu jumped in front when a high snap from C caused Sabrio to get off a 1y punt. Starting from the SA 36, the Kingsmen scored in seven plays. Senior QB Bobby Grieshaber threw to WR Bobby Triemer, who made a fan­tastic grab just inside the end line with 5:22 left. John Guidos booted the EP.
• Q2: Aloysius got its first points at the 4:36 mark after having good field position the entire period. Starting from the CJ 31, the Saints first went backwards in two plays. But on third and 25, Sabrio hit E Al Briede with a 44y bomb to the 2. Winkler hit the line twice to secure the TD. Steve Frisch­hertz blocked the PAT, which would prove to be a crucial play.
• Q3: The 7-6 score held up throughout the scoreless quarter.
• Q4: Aloysius moved 55y in just three plays to take their first lead. The TD came on a 50y strike from Sabrio to Schmidt. Azzarello added the point with 7:55 to play. After several punts, the Kingsmen took possession at the mid­field stripe with just 1:27 left. On first down, Grieshaber hit Triemer for 5. Bobby then kept for 2 before FB David Frank ripped off 13 to the 30. Grie­shaber connected with WR Steve Hooks for 22 and a first-and-goal on the 8. On the next snap, the CJ QB floated a pass to Triemer in the corner of the EZ. Guidos' PAT kick made it 14-13. Aloysius took the kickoff all the way back to their 45 with 0:25 remaining. But, on first down, Sabrio threw a despera­tion pass that Triemer intercepted to preserve the win.

The Rams piled up 294y on the ground and recovered three Saint bob­bles to overcome an astounding 130y in penalties. Both teams filled the airways to the tune of 42 passes.

• Q1: The Irish Channel crew scored first on a 1y plunge by Trapani to cap a 48y drive after Vincent Mancuso fumbled a punt.
• Q2: Midway through, Puerto Rolando increased the lead with a 20y FG. Then, with 0:41 showing, Rolando nailed a 30-yarder for a 13-0 advantage at intermission. One FG was rare in high school ball in those days; so a second was a bonus.
• Q3: The Crusaders finally showed some pep, taking the kickoff and marching 47y for a TD. Sabrio found Briede in the EZ from the 14. But Garrity increased the margin back to 12 with an 8y sprint around LE to finish off a 75y march. Rolando finally missed one to leave the score 19-7.
• Q4: Aloysius made the final score closer when Sabrio hit Schmidt with an 18y pass. Azzarello booted his second PAT of the after­noon.

• Q1: Aloysius scored in the opening quarter for the first time in four games. Starting their first possession on their 41, they ground out a 15­play drive that lasted until 3:44 was left. Sabrio, mixing his plays well, hit Shaw for the tally on 4th and 4 from the 6. Rummel opened up its offense after being bottled up by the Crusader D. Hodgins connected with Steve Foster for 61y to the SA 1 as the period ended.
• Q2: Tom Brenan dove over on the first play to end the 62y march that took just three plays. Foster's conversion tied the score. The Raiders threatened again late in the half thanks to a 57y scamper by Guy Olano to the 16. But the defense stiffened and forced a Foster FG try from the 11 that went wide right.
• Q3: The Saints took the kickoff at their 26 and moved all the way to the 2 before giving up the ball on downs. Rummel tried to punch the ball out, but on third down Olano fumbled, and Dill recovered on the 10. It took three plays to retake the lead, Sabrio chalking up his second TD pass of the afternoon, this time to Briede from the 10. Al delayed at the line of scrimmage, then floated into the flat where he gathered in the pigskin and ran into the EZ at the 2:17 mark.
• Q4: Rummel threatened twice, driving to the 1 and the 18 before turn­ing over the ball on downs. Finally, starting from their 31, the Raiders mounted a desperation drive that culminated in an 18y 4th down pass from Hodgins to Paul Koppens, who was all alone in the EZ. Foster added the all-important PAT to knot the count. The Crusaders couldn't muster a threat in the last 1:45.

One Crusader made the TP's 5-AAA offensive team with two on the defensive team.

• 170 lb senior HB Joe Winkler made the offensive team.
• Jeff Dill, 215 lb senior T, and Al Briede, 170 lb senior E, earned berths on the defense.

The Honorable Mention list included these Crusaders:

• G - Keith Steger, George Wichser
• QB - Dennis Sabrio
• FB - Walt Schwander
• DB - John Schmidt

The following awards were presented at the school's Winter Sports Banquet:

• Most Valuable Player - Joe Winkler
• Best Offensive Player - George Wichser
• Best Defensive Player - Jeff Dill
• Scholastic Award - Kris Modenbach

Five seniors earned college football scholarships.

• Joe Winkler - LSU
• George Wichser and Jeff Dill - Utah
• Ray Marshall and John Schmidt - Tulane