Cardinal Gibbons tops Leesville Road in a showdown between a pair of title-hungry teams

Cardinal Gibbons defensive back Will Mason started the second half of Friday’s Cap Six 4A Conference showdown against visiting Leesville Road moments removed from a crowning achievement: He was dubbed Homecoming King (alongside Queen Megan Adams) at halftime.

On the field, Crusaders linebacker Savoy New crowned Cardinal Gibbons’ 13-3 win with a late interception that completed another signature performance for defensive coordinator Nick Drew’s unit.

Might Friday’s performance have earned the Crusaders their biggest home regular-season conference win?

“There’s no question,” Cardinal Gibbons Coach Steven Wright said of the outcome’s magnitude. “The ballgame came down to a handful of plays. We were able to make them and put ourselves in a position to win.”

Connor Clark’s 29-yard completion to Maverick Shotwell advanced the Crusaders to Leesville Road’s 1-yard line as the third quarter concluded. Clark scored the game’s lone touchdown on a quarterback keeper that opened the final period.

“I’m just really proud of the way he has matured, the way the threw the ball tonight,” Wright said of Clark. “He made some clutch throws. He made plays when we had to have them.”

Clark converted two key third-quarter passes for Cardinal Gibbons (5-2, 2-0 Cap Six), which took the lead for good on a third-quarter field goal. Clark connected with Ian Evans for 15 yards on a third down and 13 from the Crusaders’ 27 to keep the drive going inside the five-minute mark. Clark’s 35-yard completion to Blake Raphael put Cardinal Gibbons at the Pride 11 with 3:05 left in the frame.

Crusaders kicker Ethan Hastings converted a 28-yard field goal with 2:18 to play in the third to give Cardinal Gibbons a 6-3 advantage. Hastings’ field goal from 38 yards tied the score at three 5:39 before intermission.

Friday’s touchdown drive was set up by a possession strip and recovery by Cardinal Gibbons’ Oliver Evans with 51 seconds left in the third quarter. Crusaders defensive linemen Joshua Stoneking and Ethan Grace had one sack each on Leesville Road quarterback Wil Murray on the Pride’s next two possessions before New cemented the outcome.

Leesville Road (5-1, 1-1) scored its lone points on Tyler Graham’s second-quarter field goal. The Pride scored its fewest points since September 22, 2017 in a game also played at Cardinal Gibbons. The Crusaders won that one, 47-3.

This story was originally published October 8, 2021 at 11:38 PM.