The Cathedral Green Wave relied on its triple-headed monster in the backfield and a collective defensive effort to defeat Stringer 35-14.

Stringer’s double-wing offense took some adjusting to, but head coach Ron Rushing said his team settled down after the first quarter.

“That offense is hard to simulate in practice, because if one person blows their assignment, it can mess everything up,” Rushing said. “James Coley played his fifth game at linebacker tonight, and he did a heck of a job. Will Wallace, Coley, Robert Hargrave, Jacob Pahnka and Quinton Logan really played good tonight.”

Cathedral’s offense ran the ball effectively for four quarter, rushing for 287 yards in the game. Quarterback Wyatt Boothe and running backs Christian Jenkins and Dee Fleming each rushed for 90 yards in the win, collectively averaging more than eight yards per carry.

Rushing said the game-changing play occurred right before the half, on a two-minute drive by Boothe.

The Green Wave were up 14-7 in the second quarter, and after a defensive stop, Cathedral drove the ball down the field with 40 seconds left, ending on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Boothe to Logan.

“That play was probably the biggest of the game,” Rushing said. “They were getting the ball to start the second half, and we were able to go up two scores right before the half, which really gave us a lot of momentum.”

Boothe finished the game completing 9 of 14 for 97 yards, including an interception. Jardarius Anderson led the Green Wave in receiving with 52 yards on five receptions.

The Green Wave scored a touchdown in the third and in the fourth, extending their lead to 35-7 and allowing Rushing to play younger players in the final quarter.

Cathedral improved to 5-0 on the season, while Stringer falls to 0-5 on the season.

“Stringer has a lot of tradition, “ Rushing said. “They’re not a bad football team at all. They played some tough competition, and I knew that going into the game.”

Rushing was overall pleased to avoid what he referred to as a trap game earlier in the week.

“Our offensive line played outstanding, and our defense really came together and played well,” Rushing said. “This was a great team win for us, and I’m really proud of the way we took control of the game.”