St. Paul's Jeb Reina, right, tries to avoid the tackle of Brother Martin's Gregory Jackson during a game at Hunter Stadium on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.

Brother Martin's Jordan West is wrapped up by the St. Paul's defense during a game at Hunter Stadium on Friday, Sept. 9. 2022.

St. Paul's Jeb Reina, right, tries to avoid the tackle of Brother Martin's Gregory Jackson during a game at Hunter Stadium on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.

Brother Martin's Jordan West is wrapped up by the St. Paul's defense during a game at Hunter Stadium on Friday, Sept. 9. 2022.

The moment Gavin Bourgeois crossed the goal line was a mixture of bittersweet celebration.

The 50-yard scoop and score by the St. Paul's linebacker was the unquestioned top play of the night for either team. It was the second touchdown in only 11 seconds for the Wolves and the team's first defensive score of the year.

The only problem was that it came with 3:25 left to play, and St. Paul's was still down two scores to a formidable Brother Martin team that controlled the vast majority of the night.

Ultimately Bourgeois' touchdown was the exclamation point to the late rally that never came to fruition. Brother Martin put its starters back in the game and ran the clock down to seal the 28-14 victory at Hunter Stadium on Sept. 9.

The final few minutes of the nondistrict matchup were symbolic of the night as a whole: St. Paul's never felt entirely out of the game, and there was always hope, but at the same time, Brother Martin's grasp never seemed in doubt.

"We just have to put a complete game together," Bourgeois said. "We played lights out in the first half, one big play, and that's it. We just have to play a complete game on defense, and the offense will help us out. I hope to see them again in the playoffs."

Bourgeois' assessment of the first half was more than fair.

Down 7-0 at the half, the only difference between the teams — at least on the scoreboard — was a 55-yard touchdown run by Brother Martin's Torey Lambert. The Wolves' strategy of bend don't break held steady through the first two quarters even as the Crusaders outgained them 183 to 85 yards, including 121 to 51 yards on the ground.

But St. Paul's was still within reach through a series of tough plays, lucky breaks and untimely penalties against the Crusaders, including the negation of an 83-yard touchdown run.

"We were feeling great. That was what we needed to do," St. Paul's coach Ken Sears said. "But at some point, we have to execute. We didn't execute."

The dam finally broke in the third quarter when Brother Martin marched down the field for a 9-play, 60-yard drive for a touchdown on the first possession of the second half. The Wolves' defense struggled to penetrate an invigorated Brother Martin offensive line that opened holes to run through with ease.

Lambert suffered an ankle injury at the end of the first half, but backup Jordan West stepped in to run for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries in the second half.

Brother Martin scored two more times to jump out to a 28-0 lead in the fourth quarter before pulling its starters, opening the door for St. Paul's brief rally.

The Crusaders finished with 295 yards rushing and four touchdowns. SPS running back Jacob Davies led the Wolves with 52 yards on 15 carries, but Tristan Davenport scored the team's lone offensive touchdown on a 1-yard push in the fourth quarter.

"We just knew we were better than them, and we could put it to them," Brother Martin offensive lineman Clay Capitano said. "They were tired in the first quarter, and we knew if we ran the ball up their throat that we could beat them."

BM: Torey Lambert 55 run (Leyton Liuzza kick), 4:10, 7-0

BM: Jordan West 1 run (Liuzza kick), 7:15, 14-0

BM: Sidney Harris Jr. 1 run (Liuzza kick), 1:07, 21-0

BM: West 5 run (Liuzza kick), 9:53, 28-0

SPS: Tristan Davenport 1 run (Drew Talley kick), 3:36, 28-7

SPS: Gavin Bourgeois 50 fumble return (Talley kick), 3:25, 28-14

Brother Martin, 360 total yards (65 passing, 295 rushing)

Rushing: Torey Lambert, 9-96, TD; Clayton Lonardo, 7-53; Jordan West, 15-100, 2 TDs; Sidney Harris Jr., 13-45, TD; Tyren Morgan, 3-1.

Receiving: Nicolas Malek, 3-45; Camden Buras, 1-13; West, 2-9; Lambert, 1-(-2).

St. Paul's, 192 total yards (134 passing, 58 rushing)

Rushing: Jacob Davies, 15-52; Ben Buisson, 1-0; Tristan Davenport, 4-6, TD.

Receiving: Davies, 3-4; Jeb Reina, 3-74; Davenport, 3-31; Chase Ravain, 1-25.

Passing: Daniel Roushar, 10-19, 134 yards, INT.

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