The Crusaders ride the momentum from a thrilling Homecoming victory into another Catholic League clash against Archbishop Rummel Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Joe Yenni Stadium.
Last Friday night, Brother Martin pulled out a heart-stopping 26-23 victory over Holy Cross. The teams traded touchdowns all evening, which caused six lead changes, the last coming on a 55-yard pass and run from John-Paul Pierce to Michael Clapp. The junior tight end became the fourth Crusader to score a touchdown. Sophomore RB Joshua Payne-Morgan scored from the one to put the Crusaders up 6-0. Then in the last minute of the first half, senior LB Benjamin Chaplain picked up a fumble and ran 66 yards to pay dirt. Early in the fourth quarter, senior Matthew Alfonso pushed over for the third TD.
The Crimson and Gold seemed to have the game won when the Tigers faced 4th-and-25 from their own ten with a minute left. But QB Jaden Moran of Holy Cross rolled out and launched a desperation pass that was caught on the deflection for a 64-yard gain. Suddenly Holy Cross was within striking distance of the end zone. Coach Mark Bonis admitted that, when the pass was in the air down the Martin sideline, he thought to himself, “What would happen if I knocked this ball down myself?” But his defense rose to the occasion and thwarted the Tigers on four straight passes to seal the victory.
Bonis praised Payne-Morgan, who started because Chris Smith and Ryan Rouege were sidelined by injuries. “I was so proud of Josh and how he stepped up. He ran the ball hard. Chris really did a great job at practice all week preparing Joshua for what he had to do. Those guys grew up playing football together in Slidell.”
The Crusaders were again victimized by a long play – a 54-yard TD pass for the first Holy Cross touchdown. Bonis: “Very few teams have been able to methodically move the football up and down on us this year.”
Attention now shifts to Rummel, which lost to Holy Cross two weeks ago and defeated Jesuit by one point last week. “Skill wise, they are very, very talented,” says the Crusader coach. “Good running back. The quarterback is a special player. They have two five-star receivers and two other good receivers.”
But fans will see a different Raider offense from the one they’ve run for decades under Coach Jay Roth. To take advantage of their receiving talent, Rummel runs a shotgun, spread offense. Bonis: “As run heavy as Rummel has been in the past, that’s how pass-heavy they are now.”
On the other side of the ball, “they’re not as big up front, but this is probably the fastest defense they’ve had in a while.”
Complicating preparations for the game is the weather. Thunderstorms are predicted for Saturday and may force changing in the play calls of both teams.
Those who brave the elements are certain to see another exciting game. Click here to watch live coverage of the Crusaders and the Raiders on Saturday night.
