A momentum-changing fake punt kicked Cathedral’s offense into gear after a lethargic start to a 34-7 victory against Madison St. Joseph.
With a 7-0 lead, Cathedral head coach Ron Rushing opted to go for trickery at midfield, and it paid off with 40-yard gain by up-back Dee Fleming.
The play would setup a 26-yard pass from Wyatt Boothe to Jardarius Anderson to give Cathedral a 14-0 lead.
“That was the game changer,” Rushing said. “I think from that point, we started getting things clicking, and we just took over.”
Rushing said Fleming produced one of the greatest high school runs he’s ever seen in the game. On a reverse to the right, Fleming backtracked and reversed field twice, breaking three tackles and making defenders miss en route to a 17-yard score to put Cathedral up 28-0 in the third quarter.
“It was definitely top two or three best high school runs I’ve ever seen,” Rushing said. “He did a little bit of everything in that run.”
Defensively, Rushing said his team was stout. Quinton Logan provided multiple sacks and continuous pressure from the defensive end slot, while James Coley played physically at linebacker. Cathedral’s defense limited St. Joseph to 134 total yards,
J.J. Jenkins recorded six tackles and an interception, while Robert Hargrave and Will Wallace each provided six tackles from their defensive line spots.
Rushing said his offense started to get into more of a rhythm in the second half, and quarterback Wyatt Boothe was making smart decisions.
“We ran a lot of run option stuff, and Wyatt did a great job,” Rushing said. “He’s understanding what we’re trying to do offensively, and we started mixing it up in the second half. He threw the fade well tonight.”
Boothe finished the game with 194 passing yards, completing 14 of his 17 passes.
R.J. Givens had six receptions for 65 yards and Anderson had four catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns.
Fleming was the leading rusher with 91 yards and two scores, while Christian Jenkins added 43 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Cathedral led 34-0 in the fourth quarter and didn’t give up its first score until the 3:30 mark of the fourth quarter.
At 2-0, the Green Wave will play Bogue Chitto at home at 7 p.m. Friday.