Game Recap below

Crusaders Cruise Over Blanchet in Saturday Showdown
By Steven Dion

The high school football season is at the halfway point and the weather has behaved nicely for virtually the entire duration. Saturday would be a surprise at kickoff as rain hit hard an hour before kickoff following morning sunshine. Regardless, there was a game to be played between perennial goliath Eastside Catholic led by Jeremy Thielbahr and Aaron Maul’s up-and-comer Bishop Blanchet.

On the opening drive, ECHS coughed up the football giving Blanchet early momentum. However, minutes later Daniel Carlton picked off Davine Tullis which set up an 18 yard slant to Matt Laris for a touchdown. At this point Harley Kirsch was just getting warmed up. In the second frame, he connected with Laris again and Hunter Bryant for 53 and 7 yard scores respectively. A powerful goal-line run by Dominique Fetui capped off a 21 point second quarter for the Crusaders. Blanchet was yet to score at the break.

The Eastside onslaught continued in the third as Kirsch found Matt Kveck and Jake Jackson in the endzone for two more of his five touchdown passes on the day. Bishop Blanchet played an inspired second half starting with a pick by Oshea Trujillo midway through the quarter. That set up a play which was improvisational brilliance by the Braves’ featured halfback Trujillo. A shotgun snap sailed over BB quarterback Alex Freeman’s head. Trujillo, who was the lone man in the backfield sprinted to the loose ball. As the swarm of defenders rushed to pick up the football, the BB back picked up the pigskin and let it fly toward the endzone. The act of desperation resulted in Blanchet’s first points of the game; a 10 yard touchdown reception for Elijah Davis in the corner of the endzone.

Despite a running clock from a Crusader lead of forty points or more, the home team continued to battle. The final play of the contest was a 20 yard dart through multiple defenders from Freeman to David Gats who moments prior hauled in an extraordinary one-handed grab. However, Eastside Catholic would claim a 49-12 victory heading into next Friday against league powerhouse O’Dea. Maul’s Braves will put this one behind them and build on a much better second half of a runaway contest.

Top Performers:
Eastside Catholic
Harley Kirsch- 5 touchdown passes (7,15,18,36,53)

Bishop Blanchet
Oshea Trujillo- 10 yard touchdown pass, Defensive INT