Archbishop Stepinac's game last Saturday was a loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Sunday. They walked away with a 21-14 win over the Moore Catholic Mavericks. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Crusaders as it put an end to their ten-game losing streak dating back to last season.
The critical scores for Archbishop Stepinac came from Jesse Osbourne, Richie DeMarco, and Ian Thomas. Another player making a difference was Troy Baker Jr., who rushed for 101 yards on only eight carries.
Archbishop Stepinac was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 225 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Archbishop Stepinac's defense and their six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Ka'Mauri Guinyard and Adrian Sukalic, who racked up five sacks between them. Guinyard also set a new season high mark in total tackles with 15. Archbishop Stepinac got some further help from Anthony Terilli: he picked up a sack and made 16 total tackles.
When it comes to explaining why Moore Catholic lost, don't look at Yandel Pelaez. Despite the final result, he rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown. Pelaez is becoming a predictor of Moore Catholic's success: when he posts at least 80 rushing yards the team is 2-1 (and 2-4 when he doesn't).
Archbishop Stepinac's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-9. As for Moore Catholic, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-5 record this season.
The two teams are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. Archbishop Stepinac will head out on the road to challenge St. Anthony's at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. One thing working in St. Anthony's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last seven matchups. As for Moore Catholic, they will welcome Xavier at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Xavier is coming into the game with three straight defeats on the road, meaning Moore Catholic will have to defend against a squad hungry for a victory.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
