A dominant defensive effort and special teams excellence powered St. Xavier to a hard-fought 17–14 win over Louisville Trinity on Friday night at RDI Stadium.

The Bombers struck first in spectacular fashion when Brayden Reilly blocked a Trinity punt, and Alex Walker fell on it in the end zone to give St. X a 7–0 lead just over a minute into the game.

Moments later, quarterback Jackson Frey guided the offense downfield, connecting with Alex McClatchey on a 30-yard strike before hitting Daniel Vollmer on a 19-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 14–0 midway through the first quarter.

After another defensive stand, St. X capitalized early in the second quarter as Owen Davidson drilled a 25-yard field goal to push the advantage to 17–0.

Trinity finally found life late in the half when quarterback Zane Johnson hit Jason Hagan for a 43-yard touchdown, trimming the deficit to 17–7 at the break. The Shamrocks struck again midway through the third on a 22-yard pass from Johnson to Cross Watson, closing the gap to 17–14.

From there, the Bombers' defense took over. Griffin Lyons recorded multiple sacks—including one on the game's final play—while Aden Reeder, Kobe Clapper, and Josh Fasbender shut down Trinity's ground game. The biggest moment came in the fourth quarter when Reilly snagged an interception near midfield to end a promising Shamrock drive.

Frey finished with over 200 yards of total offense, connecting with McClatchey, Jake Britt, and Cameron Taylor for key gains throughout the night. Vollmer added balance with tough runs and timely receptions out of the backfield.

The victory moves St. Xavier to 5–2 overall, bouncing back from consecutive GCL battles with a gritty non-conference win. The Bombers will look to carry that momentum into next week as they continue their push toward the postseason.