In Thrilling Finish, Pius XI Popes Edge Tosa West Trojans 30-29

For Tosa West fans, this game went from frustrating to exciting to heartbreaking. Here’s a game report:

Tosa West started on offense by having their outstanding running back – Demaris Purifoy - work the middle and edges of the field. Demaris ranked second among all area running backs, averaging close to 200 yards rushing per game and 15 yards per carry. The Pius Popes had read the reviews, and for the game they held Demaris to a quiet 94 yards on 20 carries.

Just as importantly – the Popes unveiled a potent offense that blended power runs with smart passes of 6-16 yards that kept the Trojan defense on their heels. The Pius line did an excellent job protecting its sophomore quarterback, who didn’t need much time to throw the short ones. Congrats to the Pius coaching staff for a good game plan.

In the first quarter the Popes scored first on a 50 yard run and followed that up with a 22 yard catch and run, and Pius was ahead 14-0. The Trojan offense sputtered with Pius stacked to stop Purifoy, and the offense seemed unwilling or unable to highlight other offensive weapons.

At the start of the 2nd quarter the teams changes sides and Tosa West fortunes changed. With the ball deep in Pius territory and the Trojans on defense, Pius had to punt on 4th down. With the wind in their faces the Pius long snapper overshot the punter and the ball flew out the back of the end zone. The Trojans got two points on the safety and the score was 14-2.

After receiving the Pius kick, Trojan junior Truman Tyson made two nice runs where he picked and dodged his way for 30 yards to the Pius 12. From there Purifoy took the ball up the middle behind solid interior blocking and scored. Senior Zach Veit made the extra point and the score was 14-9.

Next the Trojan defense came up big, with senior outside linebacker Ben Makhlouf, Veit and sophomore Braeden Schrems making nice stops of Pius backs. Tosa West seniors Christian Cagle and Devin Tucker teamed up on an excellent rush and quarterback stop to bring up 3rd and long. Pressure on the Pius quarterback factored into an errant throw, which was picked off by junior defensive tackle James Canady who went high to pull the ball down, secured it and rumbled for eight yards before being dropped by a crowd of Popes.

In their next offensive series, the Trojans used the wind at their backs to unleash senior Andre Carroll down the left sideline on a fly route, where sophomore Rayvon Bartlett Jr hit him in stride for the score and the Trojans were up 16-14.

Penalties slowed the Trojans the rest of the quarter. The Popes delivered a nice drive that concluded with a field goal just before the half and Pius had the lead 17-16.

The third quarter saw Tosa West score first, the result of two more impressive runs by Truman Tyson who went for 22 and 21 yards down to the two yard line. Purifoy eventually scored to put the Trojans back in the lead 23-17.

The Trojan defense was solid at times in the second half but could not hold the lead. The absence of senior inside linebacker and co-captain Joe Harrington due to a leg injury was noticeable, but not for lack of team effort. Seniors Orin Eckes, Matt Lundell and sophomore Jacob Cieszynski were in on key defensive stops. Other Trojans had solid moments, including juniors Joey Blanco with a solid tackle, and Justin Folley in pass coverage – who was in great position to get an offensive pass interference call. The Popes ran the ball for a score late in the third quarter to tie things up 23-23, but missed the extra point.

Early in the 4th quarter the Trojans gave up a 58 yard run by gifted running back Keyshawn Carr that took the ball to the Trojan 2. From there the Trojans fought valiantly to hold Pius. One big play by Tucker and junior Jake Hronek stopped the Pope QB in his tracks. The Popes lost yards to bring up a 4th down from the 7 yard line. Lined up in field goal formation and already having one successful field goal attempt – few were thinking “fake”. But that’s what happened, as the Pius holder received the ball, rolled right and fired a strike in the back of the end zone to a well-covered receiver. They converted the extra point, and the score was Pius 30, Tosa West 23, with just over 3 minutes left.

The Trojan offense had one more spectacular play to make. After several runs by Purifoy and the clock running down, the Trojans had the ball near mid-field with just over a minute left. For those who wanted a replay of the first half bomb from Bartlett Jr to Carroll – we had the pleasure to see it once more, this time from 54 yards away. And like magic, the Trojans were within one, 30-29.

Tosa West’s coaching staff decided to go for the win. From the two, the Trojans brought their wide bodies to the left side of the line in what looked like it would be an off-guard run. But Bartlett Jr faked a handoff and rolled left, then pitched a soft pass to Veit who was open in the end zone drifting toward the near corner. At the last moment the ball was knocked down by a defender, and the game ended with the Trojans losing by one point.

Tosa West is now 2-1 overall and 0-1 in the conference. On Friday night the Trojans play at home against Pewaukee who has started the year 0-3 against good area teams.