Trinity Catholic Football Falls To Fairfield Warde, 24-13

Trinity Catholic's offense showed signs of life in the second half, but the Crusaders could not stop Fairfield Warde workhorse Devin Lofton when the game was on the line.

Lofton, who may be the top running back in the FCIAC, rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries Friday as the Mustangs overcame a sluggish first half to defeat Trinity Catholic 24-13 at Tetreau-Davis Field.

The Mustangs rebounded from last week's 37-20 loss at Ridgefield to improve to 3-3 while Trinity Catholic dropped to 2-4.

In the first half, the Crusaders kept the Mustangs out of the end zone except for one play, which appeared to be a harmless one, as Lofton took a handoff and went straight up the middle for 84 yards with seven minutes left in the second quarter to give Warde a 6-0 halftime lead.

Lofton didn't carry on Warde's opening two possessions to keep him fresh for the second half at the strategy certainly paid off. He looked fresh in the fourth quarter and carried eight times for 52 yards on the Mustangs' 11-play, 75-yard drive that put away the contest.

Momentum was on Trinity Catholic's side after Cody Zaro made a juggling catch in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD on fourth down with a pair of defenders draped all over him.

The score pulled the Crusaders within 18-13 with 7:15 remaining, but the Mustangs chewed more than five minutes off the clock on the ensuing possession.

Lofton picked up five yards on a crucial 4th-and-1 from the Crusaders' 21 and Dave Wolff scored on the next play with 2:16 remaining for his second touchdown to give the Mustangs some breathing room.

Lofton and Wolff spearheaded a bruising ground attack as the latter finished with 116 yards on 15 yards. Despite its ability to score in the first half, Fairfield Warde finished with 350 yards rushing. The clinching drive was entirely on the ground.

Dawud Mohamed gave the Mustangs a spark by returning the second half kickoff to the Crusaders' 47, and Warde needed six plays to grab a 12-0 lead on Wolff's 2-TD run after a 16-yard completion to Lofton gave the Mustangs a 1st-and-goal.

The Crusaders, who were held to 101 yards in the first half, got a break when they recovered a fumble at the Mustangs' 35 two series later.

Jeff Cortese bulled into the end zone on 4th-and-1 from the 6 to get the Crusaders on the board with 2:23 left in the third quarter. Lance Kreizer blocked the extra point, keeping the Mustangs ahead.

Warde needed just over two minutes to answer, grabbing an 18-6 lead on Lofton's 8-yard TD scamper with 20 seconds left in the period. The key play in the drive was Chris Foley's 25-yard completion to Dario Pugliano on 2nd-and-13 from the Crusaders' 33.

After a first half ruled by the defenses, the offenses were in control in a fast-paced second half as the Crusaders came right back with an 11-play, 69-yard march, capped by Zaro's circus catch in the end zone.

The Crusaders needed a stop, but Lofton wouldn't be stopped. He churned out gains of five and six yards to give the Mustangs a first down at their 36, then ripped off 24 yards to move the ball across midfield.

Later in the drive, Lofton converted a 3rd-and-1 from the 31 to
move the chains again.