A Tale of Two Halves: Loyola Defeats Providence Sophomores 13-12

The Celtics sophomore football team lost 13-12 to the Loyola Ramblers this week in two very different halves.

Act I – The Celtics defense forced the Rambers off the field in five plays on their first action of the game, but had little success the rest of the half.

Loyola’s offense was able to take advantage of the good field position given to them on an interception thrown by Celtics quarterback Jake Godfrey. After the pick, the ball was placed inside the Providence 30-yard line. It was not long before the drive was finished with a 3-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal by Rambler running back Julius Holley to make the score 6-0 Loyola.

On the Ramblers next offensive possession, quarterback Jack Penn marched the Loyola offense more than 70 yards down the field to make the score 13-0 Loyola.  Penn completed two passes on the drive and rushed for 25 yards on two carries including a 19-yard touchdown scramble.

Act II – For the first time since the opening drive of the game, the Providence defense showed life. On the last play of the half, the defense held the Ramblers to a missed field goal. 

Then, on the Celtics first defensive play of the second half, David Bell recovered a fumble. Running back Dominic Lagone ran the ball six straight times to start off the next Providence drive before catching an 11-yard touchdown pass from Sam Abraham to put the Celtics back into the game, down 13-6.

Climax – With 4:53 left in the fourth quarter the Ramblers offense faced a third-and-12 on the Celtics' 46 yard line. Loyola was holding onto its 13-12 lead. But after Holley broke two tackles and got 24 yards on a screen pass, the Ramblers were in prime position to close the book on the game.

Act III – After the Ramblers offense took the clock down to 1:25 left in the game, the Celtics got the ball at their own 20-yard line with only one timeout left. On the third play of the drive, Godfrey had Joe Fulco open down the left side of the field, but under-threw him and the ball was intercepted to seal the fate of the Celtics.

Who to Blame? – The passing game. Celtic quarterbacks Jake Godfrey and Sam Abraham combined for two completions on nine throws, 26 passing yards, two interceptions and were sacked three times.

Impact Player - Running back Dominic Lagone was the heart and soul of the Celtics comeback in the second half. He rushed for 103 yards on 18 carries (5.7 yards per carry) and caught two passes for 26 yards.

“It was our first Catholic League Blue game and to win in that league you got to play the best you can,” Lagone said. “I was glad I did well, but it looks like I need to do better next time.”

A Tale of Two Halves – Ramblers running back Julius Holley ran all over the Celtics defense in the first half of the game for 72 yards on 16 carries. However, when the Providence defense put four players on the defensive line in the second half instead of three, Holley was only able to muster a total of 17 yards on 10 carries.

“In the first half we thought we could just walk in and take the game and played selfish football,” captain Matt Lahey said about the defense’s early struggles.  “The first half gave us a taste of the rest of the season. In the second half we came out and played as a team and left it all on the field.”

Stand Out Statistic – The Loyola Ramblers offense was 3/4 on fourth down conversions, including a touchdown run on fourth-and-goal. 

What’s Next – Providence travels to St. Rita to face off against the Mustangs at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23.