Brother Martin capitalized on a couple first-half turnovers to put some points on the board and keep on the heels of John Curtis after the Patriots’ fast start.
Then the Crusaders snatched another handful after the break to help spark a wild second-half rally, including 27 straight fourth-quarter points, to take control and close out the 36-28 victory.
“I’m trying to just wrap my brain around what just happened,” Brother Martin coach Mark Bonis said. “Real proud of our guys. Started off real slow. We got a little nervous because we kind of started how we played last week. Turnovers really sparked us, offense scored a touchdown and then things started going. Really proud of our guys. To go down two scores against a team like that and being up against the ropes, our kids showed a whole bunch of resiliency.”
The Crusaders cashed in 30- and 32-yard fields after John Curtis fumbles in the first half for a Luca Ascani touchdown and Jaeger Causin field goal to pull back within 14-9 at the break.
Finding, or at least sustaining, much offensive success or rhythm continued to prove challenging as the deficit widened to 21-9 over the course of the fourth quarter.
But senior quarterback Hudson Fields found senior tight end Brady Balser for a critical fourth-down conversion late in the third, and then the duo linked up again on the first play of the fourth quarter to pull back within 21-16.
And momentum began to rapidly swing Brother Martin’s way from there with one takeaway after another.
Junior linebacker Dominick Jabbia snatched away a fumble on a chaotic, extended play behind the land of scrimmage and rolled his way 40-plus yards to a 22-16 lead.
And a fumble recovery and interception by senior defensive back Patrick Jones on the Patriots’ next two possessions set up a pair of touchdowns for star Brother Martin wide receiver Easton Royal, who flipped his college commitment Sunday morning to Florida from Texas.
This article will be further updated…
