Archbishop Rummel was 3-0 entering tonight’s game going up against a 1-1 highly-regarded John Curtis Christian team. This matchup did not disappoint but these teams did not light up the scoreboard how fans may have hoped.
John Curtis started off the game very strong, moving the ball down the field on their first drive of the game. After a quick six-play 49-yard drive, Anthony “AJ” Smith would get into the endzone putting the Patriots on the board with a 10-yard rushing touchdown.
The John Curtis defense came out strong on their first drive stuffing the offense 3 plays straight and getting the ball back to their offense. After an untimely fumble, the Rummel offense had the ball back within a few plays set up inside the red zone. This was too good of an opportunity to miss out on and RB Norman Taylor ensured that the Raiders would get on the board with a 7-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7. The rest of the first half was a defensive battle with the Patriots having the only chance to score which they opted to run a field goal fake that was almost successful without a great play made on the ball from Rummel DB Peyton Depolitte.
Out of halftime, Rummel would get the ball as the Patriots had gotten the ball and scored at the start of the 1st. They would do the exact same thing, carrying the momentum out of the half down the field and into the endzone with another TD from Norman Taylor to give them a 14-7 lead over John Curtis.
Both teams’ defenses were unrelenting all night and after this score, John Curtis needed to put some points on the board. While John Curtis would be moving the ball, they would fumble the ball again but this time 15 yards from the end zone taking away the possibility of any points on a very well-put-together drive.
After forcing a punt, the John Curtis offense finally got the huge play that they had been needing all game with a perfect dot between two defenders on the run getting them down in scoring distance. Unfortunately, this huge play was wiped out for them with an ineligible man downfield penalty that set them back even further. Both teams ran the ball heavily tonight and the clock was rolling, while the teams punted the ball back and forth. Rummel was able to use this to their advantage and shorten this game getting a much-deserving win over John Curtis with a final score of 14-7.
Check out my postgame interview with Archbishop Rummel running back Norman Taylor below:
