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Cathedral Prep Upends Canisius 36-24

Tagged under: Beyond The Keystone, District 10, Gameday Hub, News, pfn

| September 20, 2024

Erie – Cathedral Prep did enough on offense and defense to hold off a tough Canisius team 36-24 Thursday night at Dollinger Field.

The Ramblers, who now have a 5-0 record, were boosted by an infusion of players and remain unbeaten. Four different players found the end zone; they had to ward off two 100-yard rushers for the Crusaders.

“They’re a good football team,” said Cathedral Prep head coach Mike Krahe. “They have talent all over the field. We were hoping to wear them down, and we did a little. We started popping some things in the second half, but they’re talented, and we’re happy to have come out on top.”

They say special teams are special; sometimes, they’re also a bit weird. On the kickoff, Cam Christman kicked the ball off of one of the Canisius players, with Prep recovering. That would set the tone for a bizarre evening in the sports third aspect.

Though the Ramblers didn’t score on their initial drive, Tijoun Williams’s punt return to the Crusaders’ 30-yard line set up Davin Friedman’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Corey Allen, opening the scoring.

A Damning trend would begin to ensue for Canisius on their following drive as they took the football to Prep 29-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.

The Ramblers moved the football 55 yards in ten plays and extended their lead to 10-0 when Cam Christman connected from 26 yards out.

On the ensuing drive, Canisius drove into the red zone only to have Ramir Wallace intercept Matteo Brusco on a 4th-and-4 from the Rambler 7-yard line.

However, the Crusaders’ defense forced a punt, which Jahyden Clark returned 50 yards for a touchdown.

Four plays later, Friedman and Allen connected on a 70-yard touchdown pass, putting Prep ahead 17-7. Corey Allen received a game-high 130 yards on four catches in the first half.

“We thought we could get them on some double moves and throws down the field,” Krahe said. “But they adjusted and took that away in the second half. My hats off to them. They’re a good football team.”

The Crusaders answered back, scoring on Clark’s 51-yard reception from Brusco.

Canisius had a golden opportunity to tie or take the lead before halftime. With 2:51 to play in the half, they started a drive at the Prep 49-yard line.

The Rambler defense held firm and forced Matt Dionne’s 25-yard field goal attempt in the closing seconds, which was missed wide right.

It would be the second of four consecutive trips into the red zone without any points.

The third came in the fourth quarter, when Canisius went on a 10-play drive, only to have Dionne’s 32-yard field attempt blocked by Williams.

Cathedral Prep then went on a methodical 12-play, 75-yard drive capped off by DaZaire Carson’s 11-yard run with 9:37 to play. Carson led the Ramblers’ ground game with 82 yards on 23 carries.

Thanks to two rushes by Amir Hernandez of 18 and 21 yards, the Crusaders moved the ball to the Prep 15-yard line on their ensuing possession. On that third snap, however, the ball snapped over the head of quarterback Brusco, with Prep recovering at their 34-yard line.

Canisius finally ended their red zone blues as they capped an 8-play 67-yard drive with a 6-yard run from sophomore tailback Elijah Kimble with 2:44 to play.

Kimble, who already has offers from Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, and Syracuse, showed why as he rushed for a game-high 200 yards on 25 carries.

“There were times we had guys in the hole and didn’t make the play,” said Krahe. “Sometimes that just happens. He’s a great football player. We need to clean some things up on defense, but at the same time, when going up against a player like that, you have to try to keep him as contained as you can. Every once in a while, he’s going to get loose.”

When Prep took over at their 20-yard line, they were soon faced with a 3rd-and-5 following the Crusaders’ final timeout. Tijoun Williams ran a reverse 75 yards for a touchdown on his only carry of the night.

“We knew they were crashing hard and that we could take advantage of that,” said Krahe. “We were hoping the end would crash, and luckily, he did, and Tijoun did a heckuva job outrunning those guys.

Canisius would add a 30-yard field goal by Dionne with seven seconds remaining, thanks to a 42-yard run by Hernandez- who rushed for 100 yards on only six carries.

Jadon King-Vincent then ran the onside kick attempt back 53 yards for a touchdown as time expired.

Cathedral Prep will aim to become 6-0 next Saturday when they travel to Athol Springs, New York, to battle St. Francis.

“It’s just on to the next one,” Krahe concluded. “I keep telling the kids that we’ve got to go to 1-0 every week. Every week, focus on winning the next game.”

Game Highlights

Cathedral Prep 36 Canisius 24

Score by Quarters

Canisius – 0 14 0 10 – 24

Cathedral Prep -7 10 0 19 – 36

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

CP – Corey Allen 30 yd pass from Davin Friedman, (Cam Christman pat), 6:41 – 2-30

Second Quarter

CP – Cam Christman 26 yd field goal, 10:29 – 10-55

C – Jahyden Clark 50 yd punt return, (Matt Dionne pat), 6:32

CP – Allen 70 yd pass from from Friedman, (Christman pat), 4:47 – 4-82

C – Clark 51 yd pass from Matteo Brusco, (Dionne pat), 3:30 – 3-46

Fourth Quarter

CP – DaZarie Carson 11 yd run, (kick blocked), 9:37 – 12-75

C – Elijah Kimble 6 yd run, (Dionne pat), 2:44 – 8-67

CP – Tijoun Williams 75 yd run, (Christman pat), 1:33 – 3-80

C – Dionne 30 yd field goal, 0:07 – 8-52

CP – Jadon King-Vincent 53 yd kickoff return (no pat attempt), 0:00

Individual Stats

Rushing: C – Elijah Kimble 25-200, Amir Hernandez  6-100, Brusco 5-(-12), Team 1-(-19). Totals: 37-269. CP – DaZarie Carson 23-82, Charbel Latouf 11-27, Williams 1-75. Totals: 35-184.

Receiving: C – Clark 6-103, Kimble 2-9, Amir Hernandez 3-9, Jason Love 2-11, Xavier Gates-Franklin 1-11. CP – Allen 4-130, Joseph Himes 3-43, Matt Oblich 1-8, Carson 1-5, Williams 2-6.

Passing: C – Brusco 14-for-21, 143 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. CP – Friedman 11-for-27, 192 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT.

Interceptions: C – Kimble, Gates-Franklin. CP – Ramir Wallace.

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