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ST. XAVIER BOMBERS ATHLETICS

ST. XAVIER BOMBERS ATHLETICS
Calendar
Eli Kirk
Milt Wentzel
14
Moeller MOELLER 1-4 , 0-2
43
Winner St. Xavier STX 3-2 , 3-0
Moeller MOELLER
1-4 , 0-2
14
Final
43
St. Xavier STX
3-2 , 3-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
MOELLER Moeller 7 7 0 0 14
STX St. Xavier 14 7 12 10 43

Game Recap: Football |

Nolan Keys Win Over Moeller, 43-14

Bombers Defense Notches Five Interceptions in Victory

ST. XAVIER – Making his first career start, junior quarterback Ryan Nolan completed 20-of-23 passes for 274 yards to lead St. Xavier to a 43-14 win over Moeller on Senior Night.  Nolan completed his first 15 attempts of the night, including a pair of touchdown passes in the St. Xavier victory.

"We told the kids all week long, 'There may be leagues as good in the country, but there are no leagues better than the GCL South'," said head coach Steve Specht.  "This is very special.  I'm proud of the seniors.  They have weathered the storms.  This is a special season."

The St. Xavier pass defense forced snared five interceptions off Moeller quarterbacks, pickoffs on each of Moeller's first three possessions to set the tone.  Two plays after the opening kick, Max Bonner tipped a Moeller pass and Gabriel Dubois made the first of his two interceptions.

St. Xavier (3-2, 3-0) stalled on its first possession at the Moeller four yard line.  The defense came to the fore on Moeller's first offensive play.  Senior Linebacker Matthew Devine intercepted the pass across the middle and ran three yards to open the scoring with 6:01 to play in the first quarter.  Mason Rohmiller's point-after kick made it 7-0.

The Bombers' defense tormented the Crusaders all night, registering a season-high five interceptions and four quarterback sacks.

Moeller (1-4, 0-2) moved deep in to St. Xavier territory on its next possession, until Eli Kirk intercepted another pass at the St. Xavier five yard line and returned it 86 yards up the home sideline to set up the next St. Xavier score.  Two plays later, Nolan connected with Liam Clifford on a short pass and the senior receiver went eight yards for a score.  Rohmiller's PAT made it a 14-0 lead. 

Moeller cut the lead in half on Tennel Bryant's 69-yard catch and run with 17 seconds to play in the first quarter.

The Bombers responded by going on a 10-play, 72-yard drive capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Nolan to senior Jalen Patterson to extend the lead to 21-7.  Patterson finished with a career-high eight catches for 162 yards, highlighted by catches of 42 and 37 yards.

Following a Rohmiller miss from 33 yards that clanged against the left upright, Moeller marched 80 yards in nine plays and used a nine-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds until halftime to narrow the lead to seven, at 21-14.

The Bombers extended the lead to 10, at 24-14 on Rohmiller's 34-yard try with 6:25 to go in the third quarter. 

On second and goal to go from the Moeller four yard line with 4:42 to play in the third quarter, Nolan missed on the first of three passes to cool St. Xavier's scoring chances. 

Specht said, "Ryan is doing a great job.  There's a reason they call it a team.  The next guy has to step up when someone goes down (with injury).  You saw Ryan do that tonight."

It didn't take long for the St. Xavier defense to swing momentum back in favor of the home side.  Senior Michael Whitehouse forced an intentional grounding to earn the sack in the end zone.  The safety gave St. Xavier a 26-14 lead.
 
The leader in tackles in each game this season, Devine finished with seven stops, to go with a sack.  Kirk added six tackles and a pass breakup. 

The Bombers continued the scoring on the ensuing drive when Charles Kellom sprinted 13 yards around right end. The point-after made it 33-14 with 1:02 left in the third quarter.  Kellom finished with 96 yards on 13 carries.

Following a 26-yard Rohmiller field goal to make it 36-14, St. Xavier capped the scoring on Kellom's 49-yard dash through the middle of the Moeller defense to set the final tally at 43-14.

The win came in St. Xavier's first home game of the 2020 season.  It also marked a perfect 3-0 record against GCL South competition; adding another championship for the Long Blue Line.

Specht said, "We've talked about it all year long.  This group is going to be remembered as a part of history.  They are going to be able to look back on this pandemic and know that they persevered."

The Bombers wrap up their abbreviated regular season on next Saturday when they host St. Ignatius.  Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.
 
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