by On a rainy day in Lakewood, Ohio, the Archbishop Moeller Crusaders took the trek north to battle the St. Edward Eagles in a Division-I top-ten matchup. Late-game dramatics went down making this one an instant classic. Sadly, only one team can escape victorious. That team today was the Eagles with a 28-21 win.
The beginning of the game was a defensive battle as Moeller quarterback Matt Ponatoski threw interceptions on his first two drives. Moeller eventually got the ball on the Eagles 12-yard line after Kyan Mason muffed a punt. However, St. Ed’s defense remained stout, causing a turnover on downs to end the first quarter.
When the Eagles gained possession on their own 7-yard line, they had some work to do. They were backed up deep in their own territory. It turned out to be no problem, though. They went full out ground and pound down the field. The 93-yard drive ended in a Brandon White 23-yard touchdown scamper, putting Ed’s up 7-0. The Eagle defense continued to dominate and Ed’s would strike soon after.
This time, Jon Slaper would run it in from two yards out. The Crusaders tried to gain momentum, but still to no avail. St. Edward quarterback Casey Bullock fired a strike to his running back Josh Groudle. He did the rest, taking the ball in for a 24-yard score. Moeller, now down 0-21, was looking for something positive heading into the break. It looked good, with them driving down the field with ease. They set up a 37-yard field goal attempt for their kicker Devin Orr, but it went south. After a bad snap and hold, the kick was blocked.
However, things took an exhilarating turn in the second half. Griff Daley picked off Bullock’s pass on the first possession. Later in the quarter, Ponatoski found Matthew Fogler for an 82-yard bomb for six. The special teams unit could still not figure things out, especially with the inclement weather. A bad snap on the extra-point attempt left the Crusaders down 6-21.
On their next drive, the Crusaders had a chance to carve more off of St. Ed’s lead. However, Ponatoski’s pass was picked off in the back of the end zone by Xavier Styles, giving Styles his second interception of the game. The third quarter came to a close with Moeller trailing by 15.
The Eagles wasted no time getting back in the scoring column to start the final 12 minutes. Brandon White took the handoff 25 yards for six. The Crusaders answered right back with a 25-yard bullet from Ponatoski to Jovan Love for another Moeller score. The two-point conversion was true, cutting the Eagles lead to 14.
On the ensuing drive, Jovan Love continued to show out. He hauled in four straight passes, carrying the Crusaders down the field. His fourth reception ended up being a touchdown. This brought Moeller within six with a little over a minute to go. The Crusader’s defense stalled the Eagles, giving them the ball back with 12 ticks. Even more daunting, they had to travel 77 yards to tie it up.
It looked fairly promising, though. A 37-yard reception from Roman Mason set Moeller up at the Ed’s 30. Two seconds now. The Hail Mary pass was heaved downfield, but it bounced in and out of the hands of the receiver. The football dropped to the turf for a game-ending incompletion. Ed’s improves to 8-1 on the season as they travel to Archbishop Hoban next week against the Knights. Moeller falls to 5-4 as they travel north to Detroit to take on the King Crusaders.
Co-Players Of The Game:
St. Edward RB Brandon White: 33 RUSH 260 YDS 2 TD 4 REC 67 YDS
Archbishop Moeller WR Jovan Love: 8 REC 192 YDS 2 TD
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