Archbishop Stepinac was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their ninth straight defeat dating back to last season. They fell 24-14 to the Monsignor Farrell Lions. The Crusaders were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Lions apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in September of 2023.
Despite the defeat, Archbishop Stepinac had strong showings from Jesse Osbourne, who rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns, and Max Oliveri, who picked up 90 receiving yards. That's the most rushing yards Osbourne has posted since back in August.
Archbishop Stepinac wouldn't let Monsignor Farrell keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Archbishop Stepinac can thank John Marino and Elias Murray for forcing both of them. Marino also set a new season high mark in total tackles with 11. Archbishop Stepinac got some further help from Andrew Waters: he made 14 total tackles and defended a pass.
Monsignor Farrell can attribute much of their success to Bryce Moye, who threw for 121 yards and a touchdown while completing 78.6% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Another player making a difference was Nafis Muhammad, who rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Archbishop Stepinac's loss dropped their record down to 0-8. As for Monsignor Farrell, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Archbishop Stepinac has the luxury of staying home for another week and will welcome Cardinal Hayes at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Cardinal Hayes is coming into the game with three straight wins on the road, so Archbishop Stepinac will have to stop a team with plenty of momentum. As for Monsignor Farrell, they will look to defend their home field on Friday against Moore Catholic at 6:00 p.m. Monsignor Farrell will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
