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ST. XAVIER BOMBERS ATHLETICS

ST. XAVIER BOMBERS ATHLETICS
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Varsity FB vs. Elder Gameday
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14
Elder ELDER 2-4 , 0-1
52
Winner St Xavier STX 6-0 , 2-0
Elder ELDER
2-4 , 0-1
14
Final
52
St Xavier STX
6-0 , 2-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ELDER Elder 7 7 0 0 14
STX St Xavier 7 17 21 7 52

Game Recap: Football |

Football Overcomes Slow Start to Outduel Elder, 52-14

Bombers score 38-unanswered points to notch 14th straight win

CINCINNATI – Charles Kellom rushed for 168 and two touchdowns and Brogan McCaughey completed 13-of-19 passes for 214 yards and three scores to lead St. Xavier to a 52-14 win over Elder. 

"The halftime speech was simply about competing," stated head coach Steve Specht. "We were in position on both of Elder's touchdown throws and we didn't compete and finish. It was also about getting back to basic fundamentals. That's what the kids did in the second half. Jake Brodbeck and the defensive staff did a great job with adjustments and we went back to playing fast. That's what we do well." Tied at 14-14 with 8:27 to play in the second quarter, Kellom scored on his second one-yard touchdown run.  Mason Rohmiller added a 27-yard field goal – his second field goal of the season -- as time expired in the first half to extend the Bombers' lead to 24-14.

Kellom's 73-yard scamper up the left side set up Rohmiller's field goal try.  The running back's two scores give him 16 in seven career games (regular season and playoffs) against GCL South foes. The leading rusher in the GCL South, Kellom has posted 580 rushing yards and 12 scores on the ground through six games. After forcing Elder (2-4, 0-1) to punt on the game's opening possession, the Bombers marched 42 yards over six plays before Kellom's first score made it a 7-0 lead.

Elder scored on an eight-yard pass to tie the score with 1:14 to go in the first quarter.  The touchdown marked the first points allowed by St. X in the first 12 stanza of a game this season.

McCaughey found Jay Farrar in the endzone with a 30-yard pass on the ensuing possession to make it a 14-7 lead.

On the next Elder drive, a 21-yard TD pass knotted the score at 14 apiece.  It was all St. Xavier the rest of the night.  St. Xavier scored 38 unanswered points to claim at least a share of the 2021 GCL South championship.

A rash of penalties hampered St. Xavier throughout the first half.  The Long Blue Line was penalized eight times for 100 yards while Elder was flagged four times for 25 yards.

"Our offensive line coaches do a great job of preparing our guys each week," said Specht. "This is a veteran group. All five either started or played significant minutes last year. We expect an awful lot out of them. I'm really impressed with our perimeter blocking from our receivers downfield. CK (Kellom) doesn't get a long run without those guys getting better."

Alex Kemper burst through the middle to go 99 yards with the kickoff 11 seconds in to the half to make the lead 31-14.  The kick return marked the fifth non-offensive touchdown of the season for the Bombers.

"Tim Banker does a great job with our special teams," said Specht. "You have to be good in all facets of the game, if you want to win league championships. I really think we are. We won the battle of field position through our kick and punt return teams. It's huge when you return a kickoff for touchdown."    

St. Xavier's average drive start began on its own 47 yard line.  To contrast, Elder's average starting position was its own 24.
In the third quarter, the Bombers attacked the aggressive Panthers' defense with doses of McCaughey passes to Terrell McFarlin.  McFarlin outstretched a defender for 36-yard pass to make it 38-14. 

Nearly five minutes later, McFarlin broke three tackles and outran the defense for a 24-yard touchdown. 

McFarlin collected five catches for 100 yards and two scores to lead the Bombers.  Farrar caught three passes for 54 yards.  Max Klare tallied three catches for 26 yards.

Chase Eary capped the scoring with a career-long 33-yard cutback run to paydirt to set the final tally.

With the victory, St. Xavier (6-0, 2-0) extends its win streak to 14 in-a-row which dates back to the final eight games of the 2020 season.  It equals the third-longest win streak for St. X under the direction of Steve Specht.

The Bombers listed four players with five tackles apiece.  Eli Kirk, Max Bonner, Joe Nelson and Grant Lyons shared top tackler honors.  They pestered Panthers quarterbacks in to four sacks. 

Stopping the run has been a hallmark of the 2021 defense.  St. X yielded 11 yards on 19 rushing attempts. 

Ranked No. 10 in the country by MaxPreps, the Bombers notched a running clock (30-point differential) for a fifth-consecutive week. It also marked their sixth time in the past seven games going back to the 2020 OHSAA state championship game. St. Xavier returns to action next Friday, Oct. 1, when Trinity travels from Louisville to RDI Stadium at Ballaban Field.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
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