Fourth-Quarter Scores Propel St. Mary's Over Cyclones

Clearwater-Orchard was down by just one point heading into the final minutes of the game, but St. Mary's added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal the 48-41 victory. 

In the first quarter, the Cardinals struck early, putting up 8 points. The Cyclones answered with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Zach Martin to Blake Kester. The two-point conversion failed, making it 8-6 at the end of the first.

"The second quarter saw some wild action," Coach Jeff Shabram said.

The Cyclones came out strong in the second, driving the ball down the field and capping it off with a 1-yard run by Trevor Mlnarik. The PAT by Orlando Roman was good, giving O-C a 13-8 lead. The Cardinals responded with a score of their own to regain the lead. Both teams added two more touchdowns in the second quarter. The Cyclones' 75-yard kick off return by Creston Bertschinger and Martin's 10-yard pass to Kester put them within one point at the half.

The NVC rivals remained even in the third, each adding one more score. For O-C, Martin connected with Andy Kerkman on a 24-yard touchdown pass.

St. Mary's rallied in the fourth with two touchdowns, capitalizing on "O-C miscues," according to Shabram. The Cyclones battled back with a 43-yard touchdown pass from Martin to Kerkman, and the Martin to Mlnarik toss was good for two more, but the clock ran out on O-C.

"This loss was a hard pill to swallow, but we need to get better from it and move forward for the rest of the season," Shabram said.

The Cyclones will be on the road again this Friday as they travel to Lindsay to take on Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family. Kick off is set for 7 p.m. The O-C JV team will play EPPJ at 7 p.m. Monday in Clearwater.

Clearwater-Orchard 6  21  6   8   41
St. Mary's                 8  20  6  14  48 

Click here for stats from the game vs. St. Mary's.