Archbishop Stepinac had been down by as many as 22, but with just 3:34 left in the fourth quarter, they had cut the deficit to eight and were lining up to attempt an onside kick.
It was a perfect boot by Dimitri Tsapatsaris, and wide receiver Zaire Spellman was able to dive on it, much to the dismay of the Flyers faithful assembled in the stands at Gold Star Stadium on a perfect Sunday afternoon.
However, a flag on the play soon made it clear that Spellman had touched the ball before it had traveled the necessary 10 yards, resulting in a penalty and giving Chaminade possession. From there, led by quarterback Tim Murphy, the Flyers powered ahead to pick up the necessary first downs and ice the game, posting a 30-22 victory.
It was the varsity football team's first victory over Stepinac since 2018 and improved their record this season to 5-1.
"We're playing good team football. When the offense needed to step up and get a big first down to win the game, they did. Defense has been the backbone of this team, and they've been doing great things," said Chaminade head coach Tom Claro. "For us to be a great team, we have to beat the great teams, and we did that today."
Chaminade entered Sunday's matchup at 4-1, coming off a 45-0 drubbing of Holy Trinity. The Crusaders came into the matchup still looking for their first win with an 0-5 record. This was surprising, considering the Crusaders went 8-3 last season and reached the semifinals of the CHSFL AAA playoffs.
These two squads met twice in 2023, with Stepinac winning both matchups - a 42-21 victory in a mid-October regular season game was followed by a 48-3 win in the opening round of the playoffs. This all set the stage for an intriguing rematch between two squads which seem to be heading in opposite directions.
The Flyers took the opening kickoff and promptly marched down the field. Murphy found tight end Timothy Battaglia wide open on a play-action pass to his right from 17 yards out to make it 7-0.
After the two teams traded punts, the Flyers offense went on the attack again, spearheaded by Peter Gerbasi's bruising 44-yard run. On the next play, Murphy found Brady Murray on a post route in the end zone, extending Chaminade's lead to 14-0.
The Flyers surprised the Crusaders on the ensuing kickoff with a squib kick. This decision paid off, as Chaminade cornerback Daniel Landrem ended up at the bottom of the scrum for the loose ball, giving Chaminade another possession.
The Flyers offense went to work once again, powering their way down the field. Battaglia had another big-time catch, this one on third down, to keep the drive going for the Flyers; a few stiff arms from the tight end allowed him to push inside the 10-yard line. On the next play, Gerbasi muscled his way into the end zone, pushing the Flyers lead to 21.
Gerbasi once again surpassed the 100-yard mark on the ground Sunday, going for 108 total.
The Crusaders offense provided a huge spark for their team on their first drive of the second quarter. Running back John Smith ran straight up the middle like a flash of lightning for a 61-yard touchdown, but Stepinac's missed extra point kept the score at 21-6.
The Crusaders defense fed off this new-found momentum and forced a quick punt. However, momentum was halted when Chaminade defensive back Nicholas Cuomo, sitting in a zone, picked off a pass and ran the ball back down the sideline for the score, putting the Flyers up by 22.
"I saw [the receiver] ran a slant, I dropped back, and he threw it right to me. I took it, one man to beat, and made the play," said Cuomo. "We work hard for that. None of this is a mistake."
With little time remaining in the half, the Crusaders made the most of their final drive. A massive 23-yard gain from Max Oliveri (four catches, 78 yards) on second-and-23 set the Crusaders up inside the red zone. They cashed in with five seconds left on a seven-yard touchdown reception in the back right corner of the end zone by wide receiver Richie DeMarco. Stepinac added a two-point conversion on a catch by Spellman to make the score 28-14 going at halftime.
The third quarter was a period of shifting momentum. The Crusaders looked good to start the half, as linebacker Andrew Waters executed a leaping interception to set up their offense in prime field position. However, the Stepinac offense squandered that when quarterback Mason Hoover was stopped inches shy of the sticks on a fourth-down scramble, handing both possession and momentum back to Chaminade.
The Flyers added a safety to start things in the final frame. After a perfect punt by Justin Jones pinned Stepinac against their own goal line, Landrem once again made another big play, registering the tackle in the end zone to push the Flyers lead to 30-14.
Stepinac would not go quietly, however. DeMarco caught his second touchdown of the game, and Oliveri added another two-point conversion to cut the Flyers lead to eight with just over three minutes remaining, but it proved too little, too late for the Crusaders.
The Flyers will continue their 2024 campaign on Saturday by welcoming Kellenberg to Gold Star Stadium; kickoff is set for 1:30. As for Stepinac, they will look to turn the page on Friday, as they host St. Peter's.
