By Joseph Staszewski
Time nearly ran out on Holy Cross, but it wasn’t for the final whistle.
The Knights stopped Kellenberg on the fourth down and got the ball deep in their end with a little less than three minutes on the clock before halftime. They also knew the Firebirds would get the ball to start after the break. Holy Cross began a march down field that ended with Devon Cajuste catching a 20-yard touchdown pass from Yianni Gavalas with 2.4 seconds left on the clock to put the Knights up two scores.
“It was probably the biggest drive of the game,” the Stanford-bound wide receiver said. “That separated us between a tight game and a far game. It really was clutch. It let Kellenberg know now you are not in the game. You really have to push and really work hard.”
The Firebirds got within six points once in the second half, but never closer and the Knights defense finished off a 33-13 win in a CHSFL Class AAA game at the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, L.I., Friday night. The Cross drive, which put them up 19-6 before the break, consisted up to 12 plays for 89 yards.
“It changed the whole game,” Knights Coach Tom Pugh said.
Cajuste, who had four catches for 62 yards and ran for 40 yards and a score, had a key 12-yard scamper on fourth down to the 30 to keep it alive. He also had a 17-yard catch on third down late in the third quarter in a drive that ended with a Shyheim Wingate 5-yard scoring run on the first play of the fourth. Cajuste ran in the two-point conversion to put Holy Cross (2-1, 1-1) in front 27-13.
The 10-play scoring drive came after Kellenberg (1-2, 0-2) recovered a muffed punt on the Cross 2-yard land and Evan Calvo punched it in for a score.
“We are going to go to him,” Pugh said of Cajuste. “We are riding that horse, that’s for sure.”
Pugh’s thoroughbred on the other side of the ball is senior linebacker Shaquille Frederick. He led a stout defensive effort that was inspired by defensive back Andrew Murdock leaving the game with a concussion in the second quarter. He and sophomore Javon Wilson, brought up from the JV, combined to stuff Matt McDaniels at the line on 4th-and-2 from the 18 with seven minutes left in the game.
Frederick picked off Nick Fiore near midfield on the next possession. Wilson also added an interception and Nick Burns had an interception and a fumble recovery in the final minutes. Cross turnovers led to both Kellenberg scores.
“That was a big play,” Frederick said of the fourth down stop. “It made us realize we had the game won after that.”
While Fiore felt heat from defenders throughout the game, Gavalas, a junior, found a rhythm in the pocket as the game went on. He completed 6-of-11 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Wingate ran for 80 yards on 14 carries and also caught a 17-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 6 in the first quarter. The Knights’ other quarterback, Kevin Durkan, rushed for 52 yards on five carries.
“I’ve settled down more and tried to make my reads better,” Gavalas said. “I’ve been more comfortable the last few games.”
That’s exactly what this game became in the second half, all set up because of that key drive before the break. It allowed the Knights to bounce back from a loss at St. Anthony’s last week.
“It just shows that last week is last week,” Cajuste said. “You always look forward. You never look back.”
