By Jerry Lindsey, Assistant Editor.
A cool, but typical fall Friday night for Football welcomed the 5-3 Crusaders, from Ottawa Marquette, to the Mustang corral to end the 2025 Football schedule. The Crusaders did not hesitate to make their mark. They marched their opening possession into the end zone, following a large kickoff return, to establish an early 6-0 lead. They repeated the end zone march following a four-and-out possession by the Mustangs. Crusaders added to the scoreboard again with 4:06 remaining in the opening quarter. Failing the extra point for the second time, the Crusaders led 12-0. The Mustangs offense stalled following a 15-yard gain by Brady Anderson on the ensuing possession. They called upon Joshua McDearmon’s foot to light up the Morrison side of the scoreboard, with a 33-yard field goal. The score moved to 12-3 to relax the chilly Morrison fans a bit; they did not relax long. Crusaders struck again in the first quarter, needing only two plays to cover 55-yards. The key play was a 46-yard pass completion, from Quarterback Anthony Couch to the speedy Marcus Baker, for the touchdown. The two-point conversion was successful, and the quarter ended with the Crusaders up 20-3.
The second quarter opened with a failed Mustang possession. The Crusaders used four minutes, to drive 48-yards on ten plays, and score. The two-point conversion upped the edge to 28-3 with 6:51 remaining in the first half. Morrison’s next possession ended with a Carson White interception. But the Crusaders fumbled the ball back two plays later. Morrison took advantage of the turnover: creating a White-to-Anderson 21-yard pass completion and a score. McDearmon’s kick made the score 28-10, but the first half action had not ended. Morrison recovered an Ottawa fumble on the following possession, but they were unable to generate a first down and returned the ball. Ottawa used the rest of the first half to generate a 46-yard scoring drive and topped it with a two-point conversion. The visitors ended the half with a comfortable 36-10 advantage.
The second half opened quickly as the Mustangs received the ball at their own 48-yard line–following a confusing penalty discussion by the officials. Two plays into the half saw White connect with McDearmon for a 43-yard touchdown. The extra point failed, but the score moved to 36-16, as the second half continued. Noah Robbins intercepted a pass to end the next Crusader possession, however, the Mustang offense stalled and turned it over on downs. The Crusaders immediately took advantage of the stop and generated a 71-yard scoring drive, featuring a 25-yard run by Couch and a Couch-to-Jaxsen Higgins pass completion. The scoreboard changed again. The two-point conversion was good, and the Crusaders led 44-16. The Mustangs struck back immediately, as Anderson galloped 65-yards with the first handoff and rearranged the score again. McDearmon’s kick made the score 23-44. Unfazed by the Mustang effort, the Crusaders attacked the end zone again. They connected on a 40-yard pass completion from Couch to Easton Debernardi, again changing the scoreboard lights, to 52-23. The two-point pass completion to Marcus Baker upped the Crusader effort to 54-23.
Following another Ottawa interception, the Crusaders scored again with a Couch completion to Grady Dose, who scampered 30 yards for the touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, but the score hit the 60 mark with 9:16 left in the contest. To add insult to injury, the next Mustang possession ended with a pass interception by Crusader Connor Baker. He returned it 70-yards for a touchdown; the extra point attempt was blocked, but the score mounted to 66-23. A 40-point advantage ignited the continuous clock with 1:20 remaining, to end the game and the season for the Mustangs. Final score ended with the Crusaders winning 66-23.
