NATCHEZ — In the climax of a 27-26 win against Resurrection Catholic, Cathedral’s defense stood tall.

Going against a Resurrection defense that’s given up seven total points in four games all season long, it was Cathedral’s defense that decided the game, stopping the Eagles on a two-point conversion with 40 seconds left. Down 27-26, Resurrection elected to go for the win, but failed to convert when quarterback Larry Sisson was pressured and threw an incomplete pass.

“We looked at ourselves in the mirror and said, ‘how bad do you want it?’” said Cathedral defensive end Will Wallace, who got pressure on Sisson, recorded a sack earlier in the game and wreaked havoc in the backfield throughout the night.

Resurrection’s near game-winning drive came after Cathedral attempted a 4th-and-5 at midfield with 2:13 left to play in the game. Quarterback Wyatt Boothe was stopped short after he kept the ball on a speed option read. The decision made by Cathedral head coach Ron Rushing resulted from punter Andrew Beesley getting injured earlier in the quarter.

“I couldn’t put somebody back there to punt who hasn’t punted all year,” Rushing said. “If we get those five yards, we win.”

Instead, it was Rushing’s defense that was called upon, and after giving up a 19-yard touchdown pass from Sisson to Troy Cobb, the Green Wave’s defense prevailed on the two-point try.

For Rushing and his Green Wave, the game began as poorly. After fumbling the opening kickoff, Resurrection marched the ball 49 yards into the end zone to take a 7-0 lead.

Boothe and the Green Wave offense marched the ball back down the field, tying the game at 7 after a 21-yard rush by Boothe. Boothe finished the game with 53 rush yards, 100 passing yards and three total touchdowns. He also had two interceptions and a fumble, with the fumble and one interception occurring in the first half.

Resurrection’s two missed field goals and Cathedral’s goal line stand limited the damage, and after a 44-yard touchdown pass from Sisson to Darius Kennedy, the Green Wave went into the locker room down 14-7.

Cathedral’s coaching staff didn’t panic.

“We played about as bad as we could, and we were still in the football game,” Rushing said. “All we had to do is play a little bit better, and we were right there.”

The second half told a different story. The Green Wave’s defense forced three-and-outs on Resurrection’s first three second half possessions, and after brilliant punt returns by Dee Fleming and Jardarius Anderson, Cathedral started around Resurrection’s 30 yard line on its first two drives of the third quarter. The Green Wave capitalized, scoring on a 25-yard pass from Boothe to JJ Jenkins and on a 5-yard rush by Boothe, taking a 21-14 lead.

As the game entered the fourth quarter, Rushing called upon Boothe and running back Dee Fleming, and Fleming answered with hard runs, finishing with 67 rushing yards, including a 10-yard touchdown to put Cathedral up 27-20 with 9:49 to play in the fourth quarter.

“It was a great effort by the whole team, but individually, Wyatt and Dee made some big runs,” Rushing said. “I don’t think plays, I think players, and they made some big plays for us.”

When the team needed to eat clock and mount drives, Boothe and Fleming touched the ball nine out of 10 times on Cathedral’s final two drives, playing keep away in a tight contest.

“If one thing would have went wrong, the game could have went the other way,” Boothe said. “But the whole team performed when we had to. When the game was on the line, we did what we needed to do.”

Cathedral finished the game with 221 total yards, while Resurrection had 289.

Quinton Logan and Robert Hargrave each had a sack on defense for Cathedral.

Cathedral, the AP’s No. 1 team in the MHSAA Class A, improves to 4-0, while Resurrection, No. 3, falls to 4-1.