REPLAY: Rummel controls first half, holds off Curtis for 20-14 win

METAIRIE – These are the strangest of times.

From a record number of hurricanes to a never-ending pandemic, 2020 has had many firsts and unusual occurrences.

Another one happened Saturday night at Joe Yenni Stadium.

John Curtis lost its third game in a single season, the first time that has occurred since 1974.

Kyle Wickersham passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third score and the Archbishop Rummel defense came up with four turnovers as the Raiders held off the Patriots 20-14 in the annual showdown between the two state powers.

Wickersham completed 10-of-19 passes for 95 yards and two scores and he rushed 17 times for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Patriots coach J.T. Curtis was impressed with the Rummel senior.

“He’s such a big-bodied kid, too, and you don’t face those kind of quarterbacks usually in high school,” Curtis said. “The way he moved the pile, I thought was really a big factor in the ball game.”

Notre Dame commit Logan Diggs rushed 23 times for 112 yards and Tyler Cook caught four passes for 50 yards and a touchdown and rushed once for 10 yards for the Raiders.

Rummel took the early lead, driving 60 yards in nine plays, taking 3:14 off the clock with Wickersham connecting with Cook on a 13-yard touchdown pass to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead with 4:05 to play in the first quarter.

After a penalty and good kickoff return gave the Patriots the ball at midfield, it took John Curtis just two plays to take the lead as Charles Quinn raced 49 yards for a score before Buddy Taylor ran in the 2-point conversion to give Curtis an 8-7 lead with 3:07 to play in the opening quarter.

The Raiders took the lead for good early in the second quarter, driving 74 yards in seven plays with Wickersham hitting Cook on a 36-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-8 at the 11:09 mark of the second quarter.

Rummel then drove 61 yards in eight plays with Wickersham scoring on a 7-yard run to make it 20-8 with 4:10 to play in the first half after the extra point was blocked.

After Anquan Milton recovered the first of two fumbles on the evening, Rummel had a chance to stretch the lead before halftime but a 25-yard field attempt was wide left.

With both teams playing stout defense in the second half, the score remained the same until John Curtis was able to drive 95 yards in nine plays, taking just 1:17 off the clock with Taylor hitting Javon Stoudmire-Davis on an 11-yard touchdown pass and it was 20-14 after a missed extra point with 1:45 to play in the game.

Out of timeouts, Curtis attempted an onside kick but Cameron Francioni recovered for Rummel and the Raiders were able to kneel out the clock to secure the victory.

Taylor rushed eight times for 54 yards and completed 6-of-16 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown with an interception. Charles Quinn had six carries for 63 yards and a score.

Memphis commit Kolbe Fields had a fumble recovery while Charlston Nash had an interception for the Raiders.

While the offense was excellent in the first half, Rummel coach Nick Monica was truly pleased with the other side of the ball.

“Our defense played outstanding,” Monica said. “They did an awesome job of buying in this week and understanding how disciplined you have to be to defend this. It was just an outstanding effort tonight.”

The Raiders have rebounded well from a 26-23 loss to Brother Martin, winning three straight games.

“That kind of hit them in the gut a little bit,” Monica said. “It woke them up. We did what we needed. We had a good week of practice. We’re relying on our seniors that were part of that championship last year to kind of show the other guys the way so we had to make sure we reset their minds. I think we’ve done that and we will continue to get better.”

Does Monica feel his team is capable of making a very deep run in the Division I playoffs?

“Yeah, of course,” Monica said. “We’re getting better. Early on in the year, we just didn’t look like ourselves. I didn’t know if we were playing hard enough or getting enough out of some of our kids. Right now, we are. We’ve just got to stay grounded, keep working. Jesuit’s a really good team, too! We’ve got one more big one before we get a week off or two and then the playoffs.”

Rummel (5-1, 3-1) has the inside track at a top four seed and a first-round bye in the Division I playoffs if the Raiders can defeat Jesuit next Saturday at 11 a.m. at Joe Yenni Stadium, which will not be easy. Rummel still has a chance at a share of the Catholic League title if John Curtis can defeat Brother Martin next Friday.

John Curtis (4-3, 3-1) has now lost to three defending state champions in the same season in Acadiana (5A), Karr (4A) and Rummel (Division I).

“We’ve got to get more physical,” Curtis said. “It’s that simple.”

FINAL
RUM 7 13 0 0 20
JC 8 0 0 6 14

1st Qtr.
RUM—Tyler Cook, 13-yard pass from Kyle Wickersham (Ethan Klapatch kick)
JC—Charles Quinn, 49-yard run (Buddy Taylor run)

2nd Qtr.
RUM—Tyler Cook, 36-yard pass from Kyle Wickersham (Ethan Klapatch kick)
RUM—Kyle Wickersham, 7-yard run (kick blocked)

4th Qtr.
JC–Javon Stoudmire-Davis, 11-yard pass from Buddy Taylor (kick failed)

Penalties:
RUM 2 for 30 yards
JC 5 for 46 yards

Sacks:
RUM 1
JC 1

First Downs:
RUM 18
JC 14

Turnovers:
RUM 1
JC 4

Rushing Yards:
RUM 203
JC 214

Passing Yards:
RUM 95
JC 85

Total Yards:
RUM 298
JC 301

Individual Rushing:
RUM: Logan Diggs 23 carries for 112 yards, Kyle Wickersham 17 carries for 75 yards and 1 touchdown, Tyler Cook 1 carry for 10 yards, Daniel Sabido 2 carries for 6 yards

JC: Charles Quinn 6 carries for 63 yards and 1 touchdown, Buddy Taylor 9 carries for 54 yards, Patrick LeBranch 7 carries for 52 yards, Caleb Spann 4 carries for 28 yards, Ronald Poole 8 carries for 17 yards

Individual Passing:
RUM: Kyle Wickersham 10-of-17 for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns

JC: Buddy Taylor 6-of-16 for 87 yards and 1 touchdown, 1 interception

Individual Receiving:
RUM: Tyler Cook 4 catches for 53 yards and 2 touchdowns, Logan Diggs 2 catches for 13 yards, Nicholas Howard 1 catch for 18 yards, Gene Roth 1 catch for 7 yards, Tyronne Hayes 1 catch for 4 yards, Keith Robertson 1 catch for 0 yards

JC: Joshua Dudenhoeffer 2 catches for 38 yards, Patrick LeBranch 2 catches for 36 yards, Javon Stoutmire-Davis 1 catch for 11 yards and 1 touchdown, Caleb Spann 1 catch for 3 yards