Big plays in 2nd half power Faith Lutheran past Shadow Ridge — PHOTOS
Faith Lutheran’s football team was outgained by more than 130 yards in the first half on Friday night at Shadow Ridge.
Then the Crusaders got a spark from an unlikely source: baseball standout Rouselle Shepard.
Shepard caught a 52-yard touchdown pass and had a 49-yard kickoff return to set up another score, and Cale Breslin rushed for three TDs as Faith Lutheran, No. 5 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, rallied for a 35-20 road win over the No. 7 Mustangs.
“He’s a special player,” Faith Lutheran coach Mike Sanford said of Shepard, who has committed to play baseball at Miami (Florida). “I think his plays ignited us.”
The Crusaders (4-0, 1-0 Class 5A Division II) trailed 14-7 at the half and had been outgained 233-101. But Shepard’s first big play quickly turned the momentum. Shadow Ridge heavily pressured quarterback Alex Rogers, who lofted a deep ball over the middle. Shepard made a leaping catch inside the 20, ripping the ball out of the hands of safety Ula Cox and sprinting the final 15 yards to complete the 52-yard touchdown catch, tying the game at 14.
“That play, I was so proud of Rook,” said Breslin, who rushed for 184 yards on 21 carries. “But he came out and he just came on top with that ball. And he (doesn’t) even play football.”
Shadow Ridge (2-2, 0-1) retook the lead on a 6-yard TD run by Tyrell Cravin that made it 20-14 with 5:50 to go in the third quarter, but Shepard quickly gave the Crusaders the momentum again, returning the ensuing kickoff 49 yards to the Shadow Ridge 43.
Aipa Kuloloia made a tumbling catch on the first play of the drive for a 34-yard gain, and Breslin scored on a 2-yard run three plays later. Liam Radke’s extra point gave the Crusaders a 21-20 lead with 3:23 left in the quarter, and they didn’t trail again.
It was mostly Breslin from there. The BYU-bound running back had seven carries for 80 yards in the fourth quarter.
“He got stronger, and I think our offensive line got stronger as the game went on,” Sanford said. “And that really, I think, was the difference there in the second half.”
Rogers added a 27-yard TD pass to Kuloloia to make it 28-20 with 11:00 to play, and the Crusaders got an interception from Jaden Mason on the second play of the ensuing drive. From there, they leaned heavily on Breslin to eat up yards and clock.
“It’s huge, and he’s a really good player,” Sanford said of having a back like Breslin. “But I think our offensive line is right along with him. Our offensive line blocked very well today. So it’s not just a one-man show. It’s a team group effort, but yes, Cale is a very special player, and we’re happy he’s on our team.”
Rogers completed 6 of 13 passes for 124 yards and two TDs, and the Crusaders didn’t turn the ball over.
“It felt great, because we’re only going to keep getting more dynamic as time goes,” Breslin said. “But to be this dynamic at this point in the season is amazing.”
Gavin Day had a pair of tackles for loss, and Matthew Mason blocked a field goal as the first half ended for Faith Lutheran.
“I think it showed a lot of character and determination how we went in at halftime, and it was bleak,” Sanford said. “They had the ball, they were running their offense, they had a lot of success. But we stayed the course, and we believed we could win, and we came back and played really well in the second half.”
Craven rushed for 97 yards and two TDs on 12 carries to lead Shadow Ridge.
