With a playoff game on the line, St. Pius X rose to the challenge on Saturday. They breezed by the Grants Pirates to the tune of 46-14. The victory was familiar territory for the Sartans who have now won seven games in a row.
St. Pius X found their leader in sophomore Hershul Olloway Jr, who rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. Olloway Jr also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, forcing a fumble, making four total tackles, and defending two passes. St. Pius X also got help from Cayl Cox-Liggins, who showed off his sure hands for 123 receiving yards.
St. Pius X wouldn't let Grants keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force four fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Ethan Machtinger, Chase Nelson, Ramon Torres, and Olloway Jr picked up one apiece. Olloway Jr's rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his sixth straight game with at least 121 rushing yards.
St. Pius X pushed their record up to 9-2 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. A key ingredient in that success has been their rushing production: they averaged an imposing zero rushing yards in those games compared to only zero in the others. As for Grants, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-6.
St. Pius X will square off against Espanola Valley at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Espanola Valley's defense has only allowed 14.5 points per game this season, so St. Pius X's offense will have their work cut out for them. Grants does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
