CINCINNATI -- St. Xavier edged out Moeller 14-10 at Nippert Stadium in a defensive battle on Friday night.
Trailing 3-0 at halftime and 10-0 early in the third quarter, St. Xavier (4-1) scored the final two touchdowns of the game as their offensive line took control.
“Our offensive line was getting frustrated because we were throwing too much, according to them,” head coach Steve Specht said.
Against a solid Moeller (2-3) defense, the Bombers relied on their front five to grind out the victory, running for 116 second-half yards and 81 yards rushing in the final quarter.
“It starts on the left side of our line with Mathew Bockhorst, who’s going to pick his school, and a three-year starter next to him in Alex Deters,” Specht said. “Those two did a great job of leading our team.”
St. Xavier used senior running back Sean Prophit and junior running back Quinn Earley throughout the night, as the duo combined for 126 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns behind the stout offensive line.
“This game is for the line -- they played their hearts out,” junior quarterback Sean Clifford said. “I’m extremely proud of them and Sean Prophit and Quinn Earley for getting the job done.”
The defense certainly did its part for the Bombers as well, holding the Crusaders to 284 yards of offense and just 62 yards in the final 22 minutes after Moeller went ahead 10-0.
“Our defense played lights-out,” Specht said. “We have really good team speed defensively, and they play hard. Moeller moved the ball at moments, but we came up with big stops.”
Senior defensive back J.P. Bitzenhofer led St. Xavier with 12 tackles, and he also returned a punt 48 yards to the Crusaders’ 6-yard line, although his team would come away with no points on that possession.
Moeller’s defense was good too, giving up just 308 yards and keeping the Bombers from scoring on two separate red zone trips in the first quarter.
On the first drive of the game, St. Xavier drove to the Crusaders’ 12-yard line, where on a third-and-7 senior linebacker Nathaniel Heister tipped a Clifford pass and then intercepted it for the game’s lone turnover.
On the ensuing drive, the Moeller defense forced a field goal attempt after the Bitzenhofer punt return that was no good.
Just over 3 minutes after the Crusaders took a 10-0 lead in the third quarter, St. Xavier’s Quinn Earley ran in a 9-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 3.
The Bombers went ahead midway through the fourth quarter, when Sean Prophit scored on a rush from 5 yards out.
The road doesn’t get any easier for either team as they both play loaded schedules, making this win that much more important.
And this was a game that either team could have won and another classic in the rivalry.
“Any time you can get out of a GCL game with a victory it’s huge.” Specht said. “Tonight was back and forth. Tonight was what they’re supposed to be. This is what grade-school kids dream about when they think about playing in the GCL.”
The Bombers will be at home next week against Elder (4-1) as the Panthers look for revenge from an overtime loss last year.
The Crusaders will host La Salle (5-0) at Lockland Stadium next Friday. The Lancers stunned Moeller for their lone GCL loss a season ago.
