In anticipation of the State Championship football game that our Crusader football team will take part in this coming Saturday, December 10th at 7:00 p.m., each day this week we will be sharing great moments in Brother Martin football history.
On December 10, 1971, at Tad Gormley Stadium and with an attendance of nearly 23,000 spectators, the Brother Martin Crusaders took on the St. Augustine Purple Knights in the 1971 State Championship game.
Under the leadership of Coach Bob Conlin, with a wishbone power offense, the Crusaders emerged victorious with a 23 to 0 score to bring the State Championship trophy home to Elysian Fields.
St. Aloysius took 31 years to make it to the football state playoffs.
Having won the Prep League Championship for the first time in 1952, Eddie Toribio's Crusaders faced Istrouma of Baton Rouge for the Southern District Championship in November at Memorial Stadium.
Istrouma led at halftime, 6-0. In the third quarter, after a 47-yard punt return, Ralph Schindler ‘53 SA bulled over for a touchdown and the Crusaders led 7-6.
After Istrouma regained the lead, 12-7, the Crusaders scored on a pick-6 for a 13-12 triumph and the Southeast Louisiana State Championship.
Trailing 6-0 to Holy Cross with just 2:34 remaining in the game, the 1971 Crusaders faced an uphill battle to keep their district hopes alive after an early season loss to Jesuit.
Running back Steve Treuting, quarterback Joey Mattingly, then future NFL player Kenny Bordelon, and receiver Andre Allen led a game-winning drive for a 7-6 victory. The Crusaders would not lose another game that season on the way to their AAAA State Championship victory over St. Augustine.
In 1989 head football coach Bob Conlin celebrated victory number 150 when his twenty-first team beat St. Augustine on their way to the state finals. The squad would finish district play with a 7-3 record, but in Brother Neal’s words “the team caught fire in the playoffs,” where they made their third straight appearance.
An epic 59 - 56 triple overtime victory over Ruston in the semifinals brought the Crusaders to the final game at the Superdome against another north Louisiana team. This is the last time the Crusaders have made an appearance in the State Championship - until now!
Trailing the Carencro Bears 17-14 at halftime of the semifinal game in Lafayette, the 2022 Crusaders were in a dogfight to get the Championship game. The second half didn’t start well for the Crusaders as their opening possession ended with a punt. The Bears then drove 53 yards to take their first two-score lead of the night, 24-14. But, no one would have predicted what happened the rest of the game.
On the second play after Carencro’s touchdown, Clayton Lonardo tore down the sideline for a 64-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 24-21. The defense forced the first Carencro punt of the game, and Martin took the lead on an 84-yard touchdown run by Torey Lambert just 5 plays later. Crusaders were up 28-24.
Leyton Liuzza’s dribble kick was perfect, and he was able to fall on his own onside kick. Two plays later, QB Seth Dazet hit Lonardo on a 47-yard catch and run to give the Crusaders their first two-score lead, 35-24. DE Brenden LeBlanc’s sack forced a Carencro punt, and Lambert scored again to make it 42-24.
Carencro finally mounted a drive and reached the Martin 14, hoping to get a face-saving touchdown. But DB Gregory Jackson intercepted a pass, picked up a convoy of blockers, and raced down the sideline 95 yards as the clock ran out to make the final margin 55-24.
Crusaders to the Dome!
