by The Padua Bruins handed first year head coach Kevin Kubit a win over their rivals Holy Name, 21-9 tonight in the Parma Holy War. This was also a great win for Padua as they avenged their playoff loss to the Namers from last winter.
The Bruins were boosted by a tremendous night from their running back Roderick Love who had 186 massive yards on 25 carries with two scores. Love was dynamic tonight, and will be a key to the Bruins run back to the playoffs this season.
For the Namers, they had a rough time moving the ball inside of the red zone, however, their new starting running back William Dix Jr looked sensational. He had 66 yards on 12 carries, with several first downs.
Padua struck first on their second drive of the game as they used a nice selection of plays before capping it off with a 7-yard touchdown run by Love. It was a 7-play drive that went 29 yards for the score. It was the result of a short punt by the Namers after Holy Name had gone a quick three and out from inside their own 5-yard line.
From there, Padua had numerous chances to extend the lead, but two turnovers and just some costly penalties resulted in three field goals by Namer Kicker Chase Jozity, including a 37 yarder as the clock struck 00:00 to end the first half with Holy Name up 9-7.
The second half was all Padua after both teams got off to a slow start in the half. For the night, it was Holy Name settling for 6 total points on their 5 trips to the redzone. This struggle was clear in the second half as they didn’t score a single time, despite having chances.
Padua recaptured the lead with 4:20 late in the third quarter on a Love 73-yard touchdown run from scrimmage. This was part of a big second half for Love as he put the game away for good as he led the Bruin charge in the fourth quarter on a 12 play, 90-yard drive that soaked up 8 plus minutes and resulted in a Nick Barker touchdown lunge from the goal line. This score, ended all doubt by putting Padua ahead 21-9 with 3 minutes left. It was truly a backbreaking drive.
This was Padua’s first win in the Parma Holy War since 2019.
Players of the game
Padua Running Back Rod Love with 186 yards and 2 Touchdowns.
Holy Name Placekicker Chase Jozity who went 3 of 3 on Field Goal Attempts.
