St. Paul’s rallies on arm, legs of Mashburn to defeat Holy Cross, 27-24

COVINGTON – St. Paul’s quarterback Jack Mashburn was truly a dual threat Friday night in the Wolves’ 27-24 Division I first-round playoff victory over Holy Cross at Hunter Stadium.

When St. Paul’s needed to make plays through the air, Mashburn delivered. He completed 23 of 32 passes for 271 yards, including the go-ahead 30-yard score to Will Robinson with 10:31 remaining.

When the Wolves needed to make plays on the ground, Mashburn delivered there too, rushing for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.

As a result, seventh-seeded  St. Paul’s (7-4) is headed southbound on the Causeway next Friday night to face No. 2 seed John Curtis in the quarterfinals at the Shrine on Airline. Holy Cross, the No. 10 seed, ended its season at 5-6.

In a game that featured three lead changes in the second half, the Wolves got the lead for good on a fourth-and-10 play. Mashburn delivered a strike down the middle of the field to Robinson, who split two Tiger defenders on his way to the end zone.

“We worked on that during the week and it came open,” said St. Paul’s coach Kenny Sears. “Jack made an excellent throw and Will made a great catch.”

Holy Cross drove into the red zone before its drive stalled, and the Wolves remained on top when a field goal attempt drifted wide right.

Mashburn and the offense took over at the 20 with 5:09 remaining, and the Wolves never let the Tigers touch the football again.

Mashburn set the tone for the final drive with a pair of punishing runs on quarterback sweeps for a first down. He completed a 5-yard pass to Robinson on fourth-and-1 at the Tiger 34, then put the final touch when he ran 21 yards on a third-and-15 with 23 seconds left.

“We moved the chains and had some big runs and some key first downs and played good four-minute offense,” said Sears.

Holy Cross never trailed in the first half, taking a 7-0 lead on Landen Bates’ 3-yard touchdown run on the game’s first possession.

A Robert Buquoi interception – the game’s only turnover – stopped the Tigers’ second drive and put St. Paul’s in business at the Holy Cross 46. Five plays later, Mashburn ran 21 yards for a touchdown, but the extra point was blocked, leaving Holy Cross with a one-point lead.

Bates’ 5-yard run on the third play of the second quarter made it a 14-6 game, and a 22-yard field goal by Nolan Heitmeier gave the Tigers their biggest lead at 17-6 with 4:06 left in the half.

Mashburn started and finished the next St. Paul’s drive, running 25 yards on the first play and capping it with a 3-yard touchdown run with 37 seconds left to make it a 17-13 game at halftime.

The Wolves got the football to start the third quarter and drove from their 18 to the Holy Cross 9, but a field-goal try was blocked by Chase Rouzano.

After a Tigers three-and-out, St. Paul’s took its first lead when Grant Grosch returned a punt 51 yards up the middle of the field for a touchdown.

Holy Cross answered with a 68-yard, five-play drive that was all Bates. The capper was a 37-yard touchdown run off the left side on third-and-1, giving the Tigers the lead once again at 24-20.

After an exchange of punts, St. Paul’s drove 52 yards in eight plays for what proved to be the winning score. Mashburn passed for 50 yards on the drive.

Bates finished with 157 yards on 29 carries to finish his senior season with 1,094 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The Holy Cross defense held St. Paul’s running back Corey Williamson to 42 yards on 12 carries.