Crusaders Hunt Down Panthers in a 35-14 Win

The Eastside Catholic Crusaders took down the Seattle Prep Panthers 35-14 as the Crusaders continued their fight to maintain the 2nd place seat in the 3A Metro-Mountain District with playoffs on the horizon.

Eastside Catholic’s offense came out firing on their first drive, as senior Jeremiah “JB” Burroughs dashed into the endzone with an 11-yard run to put the home team up by a score. Eastside continued to pile on the pressure, bringing the score to 14-0 by the end of the first quarter.

Eastside’s defense stepped up big time in the 2nd quarter, as they recovered a fumble near their 40-yard line. The Crusaders continued to take advantage of this momentum, and quarterback Isaac Corey found two completions, putting the ball deep in Panther territory. The drive would pay off, resulting in another touchdown for the Crusaders and bringing the score to 21-0.

Unwavering in their determination to win, the Crusaders hit back quickly, starting off with a 31-yard run from junior Nick Jones. Corey would connect with Jones again for a 5-yard touchdown pass, bringing the Crusaders to a 28-point lead.

The Panthers would punch find the endzone once in each half to earn a respectable 35-14 score line, but both touchdowns ended up being “consolation” prizes that didn’t make much of an impact with the already too far gone.

This Friday, the Crusaders will host Rainier Beach in their final regular-season contest, while the Panthers will head to Garfield to try and stay above .500 on the year.