No. 3 Faith Lutheran stays perfect, fends off No. 6 Legacy — PHOTOS

Legacy’s football team appeared to gain some momentum early in the fourth quarter at Faith Lutheran when the Longhorns cut the deficit to one score.

The Crusaders needed just two plays to respond and keep their perfect record intact.

Quarterback Alex Rogers hit a wide-open Aipa Kuloloia on a 38-yard touchdown pass to help Faith Lutheran extend its lead, and the Crusaders, No. 3 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, claimed a 28-13 home win over No. 6 Legacy on Thursday night.

“We played with composure, and we stuck with it,” Faith Lutheran coach Mike Sanford said. “It wasn’t perfect. (Legacy is) a good team, they were very athletic and fast, and that showed up in the game. But we kept chipping away. Our guys played smart, we played hard, and it was great to get a win.”

The victory for Faith Lutheran (7-0, 4-0 5A Division II Southern League) — coupled with Green Valley’s first league loss, 42-36 to Shadow Ridge — puts the Crusaders in the driver’s seat for the league title. The Gators host Faith Lutheran at 6 p.m. Oct 18.

“That was probably our toughest opponent yet,” Rogers said. “The bye week last week, I think, helped out a lot in our preparation for this game. We were ready to come out for our homecoming game. It was good vibes, good energy out here. That’s a really good win against a really good team. I think we’re going to see them again, so we’ve got to be ready for that.”

After the Kuloloia TD, Matthew Mason stopped another attempt to respond by Legacy (5-4, 3-2) when the junior defensive back intercepted quarterback Aidan Crawford on the ensuing possession.

BYU commit Cale Breslin racked up 106 rushing yards with a touchdown run and a 10-yard touchdown reception for Faith Lutheran. The Crusaders rode Breslin to help kill clock the rest of the fourth quarter.

With Faith Lutheran holding a 21-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, Crawford hit Dominic Oliver on a 13-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to eight points after a blocked extra point.

On the first play of the ensuing drive, Breslin broke off a 31-yard run before Rogers connected with Kuloloia for Faith Lutheran’s final score.

“We knew we had to respond,” Rogers said. “We were up and we were going to run the ball on that first play, and we were going to take our shot on the second play. It worked out, and it was really good to get that long one to Aipa. We’ve been working hard all offseason, and it’s finally paying off.”

Rogers completed 9 of 17 passes for 164 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Kuloloia finished with 64 receiving yards.

Oliver intercepted Rogers later in the fourth quarter, but Faith Lutheran’s defense forced a three-and-out to hold the lead.

“The defense played hard,” Sanford said. “We put a lot of pressure on their quarterback. We were a very physical team tonight, which was good. The turnovers were huge.”

Faith Lutheran killed over six minutes on the game’s opening drive but was stuffed on a fourth down at Legacy’s 5-yard line. The Crusaders got the ball right back when Abraham Harris forced a fumble on Legacy’s first offensive play.

One play later, Rogers kept the ball on an option and raced up the middle to score on a 10-yard touchdown run to put the Crusaders up 7-0 midway through the first quarter.

Legacy answered after getting good field possession after pinning Faith Lutheran deep in its own territory. Crawford hit Caden Bridgwater on a 35-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 7 with 7:19 left in the first half.

Later it appeared the Longhorns came up with a third down stop and would make Faith Lutheran settle for a field goal, but a horse collar tackle on Rogers gave the Crusaders a first down. Rogers found Breslin on a 10-yard touchdown pass to put the Crusaders ahead 14-7 with under two minutes before halftime.

“When (Breslin is) going, it’s really good because when we get the run going, it opens up the pass,” Rogers said. He’s one of the best running backs in the state. It’s really nice to have him back.”

Faith Lutheran’s defense came up with a pair of sacks before halftime as Legacy got as close at the Crusaders’ 24-yard line. The Longhorns had another costly penalty earlier in the second quarter on a blindside block that negated a fourth down conversion run on a fake punt.

Crawford threw for 203 passing yards and two touchdowns for Legacy, and Bridgewater finished with 65 receiving yards.