Embracing second chance, John Curtis cruises to playoff win over Holy Cross

Second chances are always welcome.

For John Curtis Christian, the Patriots are relishing that opportunity.

Thursday night at Joe Yenni Stadium, the seventh-seeded Patriots opened the Division I playoffs with a resounding 54-14 victory over No. 10 Holy Cross.

Patrick LeBranch rushed 15 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns to pace the Curtis attack.

Buddy Taylor completed 4-of-7 passes for 68 yards and rushed eight times for 75 yards and a two touchdowns.

Marlon Prout, Aaron Johnson and Reggie Johnson each ran for a score.

The Patriots finished with 435 total yards, including 361 rushing.

Prout started the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run with 8:01 to play in the opening quarter to make it 7-0.

Holy Cross made a game of it on a 23-yard touchdown run by Eli LaFrance to make it 7-7 with 5:36 to play in the opening quarter.

From then on, the game belonged to John Curtis.

LeBranch scored on a 3-yard run to make it 14-7 by the end of the first quarter and he added a 4-yard score to make it 21-7 with 8:25 to play in the half. Taylor raced 20 yards to make it 28-7 with four minutes to play in the half and LeBranch broke the game open before the break with a 38-yard touchdown run and it was 35-7 at halftime.

Playing running time in the second half, the Patriots lengthened the lead as Taylor ran seven yards for a score to make it 42-7 and Johnson broke a 62-yard touchdown run and it was 49-7 heading to the fourth quarter.

After the Tigers got on the board again to make it 49-14, Johnson finished off the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown.

Defensively, Justin Horne led the way with eight tackles, including a sack for Curtis while Blake Wibel had four tackles while forcing and recovering a fumble.

The win came just five days after the Patriots ended the regular season with a 41-12 loss to Brother Martin.

“We got stung by a really good team last week,” J.T. Curtis said. “It brought us back to reality as to who we are and what we need to do.

“I thought this was a first step. We made progress and got in the mental frame of mind. We ran the ball really well and threw it effectively. We had consistency at running back with younger guys. Our defense played well after Holy Cross scored early.”

John Curtis defeated Holy Cross 39-20 on Oct. 22.

As a result of the win, John Curtis (5-3) advances to take on No. 2 Jesuit (8-0) in the Division I quarterfinals next Friday night at Tad Gormley Stadium.

The Blue Jays rallied past the Patriots 17-13 on Oct. 15.

“Last time, we made some mistakes and Jesuit took advantage of it,” Curtis said “That’s what Jack Larriviere is capable of doing. I think we’ve improved our kicking game and that’s an important factor because they have a very good kicker. We have to convert all opportunities to score points and cannot turn the ball over.”

Holy Cross ended its season 3-6.

Thursday’s Football Playoff Scores

Class 5A
(17) East Ascension 42, (16) Southside 26

Class 4A
(6) Huntington 68, (27) Tioga 27

Class 1A
(11) Lincoln Prep 46, (22) Delhi 6

Division I
(8) St. Augustine 52, (9) Archbishop Shaw 14
(7) John Curtis Christian 54, (10) Holy Cross 14