It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Cardinal Gibbons can now relate to. They fell just short of the Clayton Comets by a score of 35-32 on Thursday. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Crusaders, who until this matchup were averaging 12.43 points allowed.
When it comes to explaining why Cardinal Gibbons lost, don't look at Gannon Jones. Despite the final result, he rushed for 127 yards and one score on only 12 carries, and also threw for 166 yards and one touchdown.
Aiden Smalls was his usual excellent self, rushing for 213 yards and four TDs, while also throwing for 182 yards and one touchdown for Clayton. Those four rushing touchdowns gave Smalls a new career-high. Clayton's leading receiver Parker Ferguson was Smalls' top target yet again, picking up 137 receiving yards and one score.
Cardinal Gibbons' loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-2. As for Clayton, the win was the seventh in a row for them, bringing their record up to 12-2.
Cardinal Gibbons does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Clayton, they will square off against Grimsley at 8:00 p.m. on the 12th. The Whirlies' defense has only allowed 11.6 points per game this season, so the Comets' offense will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
