Cathedral boots 40-yard field goal as time expires to upset No. 15 Moeller

A 40-yard field goal by backup kicker Drake Myers as time expired gave Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) a dramatic 26-24 upset over No. 15 Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Cathedral led for most of the game, but Moeller launched an impressive second half comeback and nearly escaped with a victory.

Quarterback Spencer Iacovone threw for two touchdowns and rushed for a third score, a 1-yard touchdown run with less than a minute to play to give Moeller a 24-23 lead.

Following a long completion, Cathedral called a time out to set up Myers' 40-yard attempt. The long kick sailed through the uprights with no time remaining to give Cathedral its sixth win of the season.

Cathedral started the game strong, marching down the field on its opening drive, capped off by a Gino Gillum 9-yard touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead.

Moeller responded with a 45-yard field goal from Nick Palopoli to bring the score to 7-3.

On Cathedral's next possession, Moeller's defense bent but didn't break; Cathedral was forced to settle for a field goal to go up 10-3 with 11:24 left in the first half.

With only a few minutes remaining in the second quarter, Cathedral struck again on a 49-yard bomb to go up 17-3, a lead it carried into half time.

Gillum scored again to start the second half as Cathedral took a 23-3 lead with the game seemingly in command.

However, Moeller would not accept its first loss without a fight. Receiver Monty Madaris quickly responded with a 64-yard touchdown catch to bring the score to 23-10.

After Cathedral failed to score, Moeller found the end zone again, as Iacovone connected with Keith Watkins for another score, narrowing the gap to 23-17 with just over three minutes to play.

The Crusaders defense buckled down and forced a Cathedral punt. Moeller started its drive at Cathedral's 32-yard line with roughly two minutes remaining.

Moeller moved the ball inside the 10-yard line but struggled to punch it in. On 4th-and-goal from a yard out, Iacovone finally plunged into the end zone. A successful PAT made the score 24-23 in favor of Moeller.

It seemed as if the Cincinnati powerhouse would come away with the win before Myers' last-second heroics.

The loss comes on the heels of a report earlier this week in the Cincinnati Enquirer that Moeller had shifted its goal from a state title to a national title.

With the loss, it's unlikely that Moeller can ascend to the top spot in the Xcellent 25 Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.

“We knew we would have our hands full,” John Rodenberg told the Enquirer after the game. “They’re a very good team.”

Moeller still has big games against St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) and Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) remaining on its regular season schedule and could make a deep run in Ohio's Division 1 playoff bracket.