On Brother Martin’s (8-0, 3-0) Homecoming, the Crusaders scored the go-ahead touchdown with only 18 seconds left to take a 36-29 victory over the Shaw Eagles.
Shaw took an early 3-0 lead, but Kyler Johnston returned the next kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. The teams would each score another touchdown before the end of the first quarter. Shaw shutout the Crusaders in the second quarter and took a 20-14 lead into halftime.
After Shaw took a 26-14 lead in the third quarter, Brendon Hayes, who already had a fumble recovery, sacked the Shaw quarterback to force a fourth down punt and give Brother Martin good field position. The Crusaders would drive down the field in four plays and score on a 7-yard run by Jared West to make it a 26-21 game.
The Shaw field goal kicker hit his second field goal of the game to stretch the Eagle lead to 29-21.
Brother Martin drove 59 yards on its next possession with Johnston grabbing a 15-yard touchdown pass from Broggi. West ran in for a two-point conversion and tied the game at 29 with only 3:55 remaining.
Trying to break the 29-29 time, the Eagles drove 27 yards in the final minutes, but senior safety Adam Henderson made a diving interception near midfield with only 1:09 remaining giving the Crusaders a chance to win.
On the second play after the interception, quarterback Jake Broggi scrambled to find Johnston on a short pass that he caught at the Shaw 45. He ran the ball to the 3-yard line before he tripped with :27 seconds remaining.
West covered the final 3 yards for another touchdown giving Martin its 36-29 margin with only 18 seconds to play.
The victory kept Brother Martin’s perfect season alive as they increase their record to 8-0, 3-0 in District 9-5A.
On Saturday, unbeaten Brother Martin (8-0) battles tough Jesuit (6-2) at 1 p.m. at Tad Gormley Stadium. You can listen to the game live on WGSO, 990 AM and watch it live at SportsNOLA.com.
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