Crusaders Secure Second Straight Win Against North Harford

FOOTBALL

The took control immediately, maintained it throughout the game, and left previously unbeaten North Harford Hawks with last Friday night's 28-13 out-of-conference victory.

St. Paul's is now 2-1 heading into next Friday's 7 p.m. match against John Carroll High School. 

The Crusaders led, 7-0, in the first quarter, 13-7, at halftime, and by as much as 21-7 entering the fourth quarter to improve to a 2-1 record heading into the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference opener against John Carroll on Sept. 30.

Senior London Fitzhugh opened the scoring off of a 25-yard pass from freshman quarterback Anthony Pino. Then juniors Mike Mayer and Teddy Martinez both returned fumbles for touchdowns, while junior Dale Harris notched one more with just over a minute to play.

The win was the second straight for the Crusaders, who on a missed 47-yard field goal with 10 seconds left after leading 7-0 in the first quarter. The Crusaders rebounded from the loss to Perry Hall with a 47-14 of Baltimore County at CCBC-Catonsville.

The Hawks (2-1) were coming off of consecutive wins over three-time state titlist Hereford High School of Baltimore County, 28-23, and, Rising Sun of Cecil County, 44-7.

But the Crusaders established the momentum when Pino found Fitzhugh, whose diving reception ended a 97-yard scoring drive.

"London made an outstanding catch in the back of the end zone for the score," said Crusaders coach Paul Bernstorf. 

Tied at 7-7 in the second quarter, Mayer scooped a fumbled pitch and raced in for the 13-7 lead. 

The Crusaders led, 21-7, after their defense disrupted a fourth-and-1 hand off, causing a fumble that Teddy Martinez picked up and ran in from 55 yards. 

Tre Hamer's two-point conversion catch from Pino accounted for the 14-point lead at that point. 

A 15-yard scoring pass brought the Hawks close, 21-13, but the Crusaders Travis Wood blocked the extra point.  

The Crusaders faced third-and-10 with 1:22 remaining when Harris sealed the win with his touchdown run. 

"The offensive player of the week for the Crusaders was London Fitzhugh," said Bernstorf. "Travis Wood won defensive player of the week, and Tre Hamer won our special teams player of the week."

SOCCER SWEEPS THREE STRAIGHT 

The Crusaders soccer team scored consecutive wins over the St. Mary's Saints, 2-1, Annapolis Area Christian School Eagles, 7-0, and, Severn Admirals, 3-0, respectively, on Friday, Monday, and, Wednesday to improve to 5-3 overall, and 5-0 against the MIAA B Conference. 

The Crusaders out-shot St. Mary's, 13-2, according to first-year coach Danny Skelton. Underclassmen Nate Hall (freshman) and Iliyas Mirza (sophomore) scored against the Saints. 

Mirza now leads the Crusaders in scoring with five goals and six assists, followed by Hall with six goals and two assists.

The Crusaders were "hitting on all cylinders" against AACS, said Skelton. "From the opening whistle, the Crusaders took control of the game and demonstrated creative and precise possession," he said.

Mirza scored three times with two assists against the Admirals, with one goal each from Hall, Max Peters, James Mugele, Alex Lerner, and an assist each from Sam Tana and Juwan Kearson.

On Wednesday, the Crusaders blanked the Admirals, 3-0.

CROSS COUNTRY

Finishing in three out of the top five places during the Bulldog Invitational was more than enough to earn the Crusaders a first-place title in the small school race on Saturday.

The top finishers from St. Paul’s were:

• Timmy Peters, first place,17:56
• Ned Moreland third place, 8:15
• Connor Coleman, fourth place, 18:56

About 30 teams participated in the race, which was split into categories by size. St. Paul’s dominated the small school category, said Crusaders coach Keith Culbertson. 

 
"All seven varsity runners beat their times from earlier in the week, including Timmy Peters. Tim took a minute off from Tuesday’s race. Ned Moreland also took a minute off his time, and Connor Coleman took more than a minute off his time. It was a great run by all of the runners, including the JV."

On Tuesday, the Crusaders ran at MIAA B Conference rival Severn against the host Admirals at Anne Arundel Community College, along with Glenelg Country School and Cristo Rey. 

"Almost all St. Paul's 33 runners ran their fastest times of the season," said Culbertson. "St. Paul's won against all three teams."

The scores were: St. Paul's 15, Cristo Rey 50; St. Paul's 16, Glenelg 43; and St. Paul's 17, Severn 41.

The top three runners all broke 18 minutes: Jack Hamed finished in 17:39; Peters, in 17:42; and Moreland in 17:52. 

The Crusaders face Lutheran next week, "Possibly our fastest opponent this year," said Culbertson.

VOLLEYBALL

The Crusaders volleyball team vanquished Annapolis Area Christian School in four sets on Monday, 17-25, 25-22, 25-22 and 29-27.