SAN ANTONIO – On paper, the opening playoff match-up between the Geneva School of Boerne Eagles (9-2) and the Bishop Gorman Catholic School Crusaders (2-9) looked to be a mismatch.
From the opening whistle, Geneva proved that to be correct, as they overwhelmed their opponents from Tyler by a final score of 49-12 Friday at Cornerstone Christian Schools’ Warrior Stadium in San Antonio.
The Eagles got on the scoreboard first. After receiving the opening kickoff near midfield, junior quarterback Caleb Quitadamo led a methodical drive downfield.
A mix of hard, up-the-middle runs by sophomore running back Shae McNew drove the ball to the Crusaders’ six-yard line. Quitadamo capped off the drive, in which he went three-for-three passing, with a touchdown toss to sophomore wideout Chase Doran.
Geneva snuffed out the ensuing Bishop Gorman drive by forcing a fumble that the defense recovered at their own 15-yard line. It took one play for the Eagles to score again, as Quitadamo dropped back and unleashed a deep sideline pass that junior wide receiver Reid Aderholt caught in stride, breaking free for an 85-yard touchdown.
“We had two turnovers [on offense] tonight, and that’s kind of been our Achilles’ heel this year,” Geneva head coach Bob Rosenstiel said. “This was one where I wanted a clean game, and we didn’t have that. That’s disappointing to me.”
On Bishop Gorman’s next possession, Doran intercepted an errant pass, giving Geneva the ball at their opponent’s 40-yard line. Quitadamo launched another deep pass, this time a 39-yard strike to senior wide receiver Noah Brunsvold. McNew scored soon after from one yard out to put the Eagles up 21-0 late in the first quarter.
Things went from bad to worse on the next Bishop Gorman possession. A bad snap on a punt attempt gave Geneva the ball at the one-yard line. Quitadamo ran it in himself to give his team a commanding 28-0 lead.
“They played well today,” Rosenstiel said of his team’s defensive performance. “I’d like to see them fly around a little more and run some full speed. Overall, I think we played well.”
The teams traded turnovers that kept the majority of the second quarter scoreless. The lull was broken up thanks to an incredible series of plays by junior Reid Aderholt. As the Crusaders looked to drive in for a score, Aderholt wrestled the ball away from the receiver to give Geneva the ball at their own two-yard line.
On the first offensive play of the next possession, he hauled in a pass for 43 yards, and the Eagles eventually scored on a 13-yard catch and run by Doran to close out the half up 35-0.
After the break, the Eagles continued their offensive onslaught. The Eagles defense forced a punt by the Crusaders, and the offense cashed it in on McNew’s second touchdown of the night from two yards out to effectively put the game out of reach.
The Eagles added their final score of the night midway through the fourth quarter when freshman running back Asher Shindler scored on a run up the middle that went 33 yards.
“Overall, I’m satisfied, but I think we still shoot ourselves in the foot quite a bit on some things,” Rosenstiel said. “We just need to find a way to finish better. I think we let off the gas a little too soon.”
The Eagles will move on to the second round of the playoffs, where they will take on All Saints Episcopal School from Tyler. For more on the game, see attached story.
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