NO. 5 IS SWEET FOR ST. PAUL’S

Crusaders stop Spalding in OT; snaps Cavaliers’ win streak in MIAA B play

     Sixteen. That’s the number of consecutive victories by the Archbishop Spalding High School’s football team in MIAA B Conference play. The only number that mattered to St. Paul’s School was 42, the margin of last year’s loss to the Cavaliers.

     In one swoop, the Crusaders wiped out both Friday night in Severn. St. Paul’s gained atonement with a 26-25 victory in overtime, handing the Cavaliers their first home defeat since 2004.

     Brian Taafe’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Lance Roberts and extra point kick by Tyler Feeley secured victory for St. Paul’s, which trailed by nine points entering the final quarter of regulation. Crusaders coach Dave Dolch was elated with his team’s composure in the final stages.

     “You got really adverse weather conditions that kicked in during the game,” said Dolch standing in a pouring rain near the St. Paul’s bench. “These kids hung in there, came back against a great football team. My hats off to Coach Whittles and his team, but I’ll tell you what, I’m sure proud of our St. Paul’s Crusaders.”

      In running their winning streak to five, St. Paul’s (5-3 overall) is now 5-1 in the B tied in the loss column with Spalding (4-1) and Archbishop Curley (3-1), which hosts league unbeaten St. Mary’s (4-0) Saturday afternoon. The top two teams advance to the conference title game, Nov. 16 at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium.  

       The Cavaliers’ last defeat in conference play was a 20-10 loss at Boys’ Latin, Oct. 15, 2005. Spalding won the prior two meetings with the Crusaders including a 42-0 pasting in Brooklandville a year ago.     

      “We weren’t worried about the streak, we were worried about last year’s feeling,” said St. Paul’s defensive linemen Peter Smyth. “It was embrassing, so we came out here fired up ready to roll.”

      Smyth was part of Crusaders’ defense that created several key turnovers down the stretch. He partially blocked a Spalding punt, setting St. Paul’s with a first-and-goal at the 10. The Crusaders didn’t get in the end zone, but Feeley split the uprights for a 27-yard field goal bringing them to within 19-13 with 10 minutes, 24 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

      Two plays later, St. Paul’s defensive linemen Michael Shipley stripped Spalding’s Nick Whittles, and Rich Clough recovered near midfield. The Crusaders needed five plays to tie the score as Taafe hit Colby Roane in the right slot for a 24-yard play with 7:43 left. St. Paul’s got the ball back again and drove to the Cavaliers’ 19, but Feeley’s 37-yard attempt was blocked with 1:27 remaining.

      After Spalding scored on the first possession of overtime on a nine-yard run up the middle by Nick Kuhl, Taafe threw a laser to Roberts, who caught the ball inside the left pylon and a Crusader defender on him, leading to Feeley’s game ender.

       “The corner missed it and I just caught it,” said Roberts. “It was a beautiful pass, right on the spot.”

       After tossing two interceptions in the first half, Taafe, a 6-4 senior signal caller rebounded, finishing 15-of-33 for 230 yards, two touchdowns passing and a rushing score. Roane caught nine passes for 135 yards, and Chris Wilson rushed for 101 yards on 13 carries.

        The Crusaders put themselves in a hole early, fumbling on the second play of scrimmage. Jimmy Thomas (nine tackles, quarterback sack) recovered for Spalding which five plays later, turned it into a four-yard run by Jimmy Hockel (95 yards and three touchdowns).

        St. Paul’s responded as Taafe’s three-yard run (with Feeley’s extra point) completed a nine-play, 75-yard drive. Cavaliers’ defensive back Jim Lohr intercepted Taafe near midfield and returned the ball to St. Paul’s 33. Hockel followed a six-yard run by Whittles with a 27-yard jaunt, giving the Spalding the lead back at 12-7 with 6:19 remaining in the first half.

        A 41-yard field goal by Feeley with five seconds left brought St. Paul’s to 12-10 at halftime. The drive was a setup by a blocked punt by Austin Crabill. The Crusaders kept Spalding off the scoreboard after allowing a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half.

        “We came out a little flat and it was real disappointing,” said Smyth, whose team will try to extend its win streak to six against McDonogh School next weekend at Johns Hopkins University in the second game of the inaugural DigitalSports Primetime Pigskin High School Football Series. “We got a little pumped up, got a couple of turnovers and we were ready to go.”    
 
St. Paul’s 26, Archbishop Spalding 25
St. Paul’s   7  3 0 9 7-26
Spalding    6  6  7 0 0-25
Scoring summary
First quarter
S-Hockel four-yard run (kick failed). Drive: Five plays, 20 yards.
SP-Taafe three-yard run (Feeley kick). Drive: Nine plays, 75 yards. Key play: Roane 33-yard pass from Taafe on third-and-12.
Second quarter
S-Hockel 27-yard run (run failed), 6:19. Drive: Two plays, 33 yards. Key play:        
SP-Feeley 41-yard FG, :05. Drive: Seven plays, 15 yards. Key play: Roberts 10-yard pass from Taafe on fourth-and-9.
Third quarter
S-Hockel six-yard run, 4:28. Drive: 13 plays, 61 yards. Key play: Whittles five-yard run on fourth-and-1.
Fourth quarter
SP-Feeley 27-yard FG, 10:24. Drive: Four plays, 0 yards. Key play: Smyth partial blocked of Spalding punt.
SP-Roane 24 pass from Taafe (kick failed), 7:49. Drive: Five plays, 54 yards. Key play: Wilson 18-yard run on second-and-10.
Overtime
S-Kuhl nine-yard run (kick failed)
SP-Roberts 10-yard pass from Taafe (Feeley kick).