The Crusaders celebrate Homecoming 2017 against the Holy Cross Tigers on Friday at 7 p.m. at Tad Gormley Stadium.
Last Friday, the Crusaders made the five-hour trip back from Bastrop a happy one by defeating the Rams 26-20 in a back and forth contest. With the game tied at 20, the Crusaders staged a methodical drive to score the winning touchdown with less than two minutes remaining on a keeper off a zone read by quarterback J. P. Pierce.
Bastrop won the total yards battle 437-386, thanks mostly to 382 yards through the air. “They had the best set of receivers we’ve seen all year,” says Coach Mark Bonis. “They had four guys across the board that could go.”
The Crusaders even dominated on the ground 252-55. The ball control attack, featuring 8 of 12 third-down conversions, wore down the Ram defense to set the stage for the winning drive. The visitors overcame two lost fumbles with two interceptions to finish the night even in the turnover department.
“Our offense was much more efficient than it has been,” said Bonis. “We were able to keep our defense off the field even when we weren’t able to score points. We were very methodical in our drives and created some explosions (long plays). We had no three-and-outs. J. P. did a great job of managing the game, reading the defense, and making good decisions.”
The Crusaders now face a Holy Cross squad coming off the school’s first victory over Archbishop Rummel High School in 22 years. Bonis: “That victory speaks volumes about Holy Cross’ improvement from week one to now.”
The Tigers boast some outstanding players, most notably DT Mikey Ricks (#94), LB Tyler Grubbs (#52), only a sophomore, and, on offense, WR Kym Wimberly (#12) – “he’s as talented as anybody in the league at that position,” says Bonis – and senior RB Landen Bates (#23).
Don’t forget to be in that number on Friday for what promises to be an exciting, hard-fought Catholic League contest!
Go Crusaders!
