by In a week seven matchup, the Lake Catholic Cougars traveled to Padua to take on the Bruins. The visitors marched in, on the road, to snatch a thrilling win, 21-13. The first half of the first quarter was all about defense for both teams. It took the Bruins special teams unit to ignite a spark for their offense. Ace Peterlin of Lake Catholic muffed a punt, which Mike Banks recovered.
That set up Padua at Lake Catholic’s 30-yard line. A few plays later, Roderick Love punched the ball in for a 1-yard touchdown. All three phases contributed for Padua in the first quarter as the defense pitched in and forced a fumble on Lake Catholic’s DJ Spears. Jehvani Harper was credited for the recovery. The first quarter closed with the Bruins up 7-0.
However, the Bruins took some time to get going in the next 12 minutes. After getting the ball back a few drives later, Nick Barker completed his pass to Riley Cervenka for a 34-yard strike for six. Following a blocked extra point, the Bruins led 13-0. Padua’s defense continued to shine as Mike Banks picked off quarterback Frankie Trinetti in a last-second Hail Mary attempt right before the half.
Lake Catholic was resilient, though. Their defense came out of the locker room fired up, causing Padua to turn the ball over on downs. The Cougars offense followed their lead, orchestrating a great drive featuring running back Josh Styles. He would be granted the chance to cap off the drive. He did just that, pounding in a 9-yard touchdown run, putting the Cougars on the board.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Bruins started to fall apart. They fumbled and lost the ball on the return. Lake took over near the red zone immediately, at Padua’s 24. Even after some penalties, pushed the Cougars back a few yards, Frankie Trinetti completed a toss to tight end Cross Nimmo for a 39-yard score. Just like that, the Cougars worked their way back to their first lead, 14-13.
Lake Catholic kept their momentum going into the fourth quarter as Trinetti found Nimmo again for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Padua continued to struggle. Ace Peterlin, got an interception, giving the Cougars the ball at their own 34-yard line. The Bruins’ defense remained stout, stopping Lake Catholic and giving them the ball back with a turnover on downs.
This was the Bruins’ last chance to tie up the game. Just three minutes remained in the ultra-competitive contest. Nick Barker led an excellent drive for Padua, getting them in the red zone with a little over a minute left. But, Lake Catholic forced a decisive fourth down. Barker threw a heartbreaking pick at the goal line, handing the ball back to the Cougars to seal the deal.
With tonight’s win, the Lake Catholic Cougars improved to a 6-1 record. Next week, they travel to Erie,
Pennsylvania to take on the Erie Royals. With the loss, the Padua Franciscan Bruins fall to 3-4. They look
to rebound as they travel to Brecksville-Broadview Heights to take on the Bees in week eight.
Player Of The Game:
Lake Catholic Cougars TE/DE Cross Nimmo: 6 REC 84 YDS 2 TD 1 SACK
