Crusaders sail to victory against Vikings

On Friday, Nov. 7, the #1 seeded Crusaders hosted the Vikings from Valley Central in the first round of the Section IX playoffs. The Crusaders entered the game with a 8-1 record after beating Newburgh in their last game 49-15. The Vikings had a record of 2-7 after losing to Beacon 31-19. In their matchup earlier this season, MW beat the Vikings 43-0.

The Crusaders scored on their first possession and never looked back. Noah Flores took a handoff and raced around the far side then cut up field and scored on a 54-yard touchdown sprint. They added two more when Liam Hayes rolled out and hit Michael Stone in the end zone to put the Crusaders up 8-0. With :30 left in the first quarter, Ethan Maldonado connected with Braylon Shillingford who broke a tackle and raced down the side line to score from 41 yards out. After a failed two-point conversion, the Crusaders were up 14-0.

Half way thru the second quarter, Maldonado tossed a screen pass to Nate Coulanges who busted through a few Viking players on his way to a 57-yard touchdown. After Matvii Butiuhin kicked the extra point, the Crusaders’ lead was 21-0. With time running out in the first half, Maldonado hit Michael Stone on a quick slant to score from 3 yards out, making it 28-0 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Crusaders made it 35-0 when Maldonado took off and scored on a 25-yard touchdown run. The Vikings got on the board with 2:30 left in the third with a 10 touchdown toss to bring the score was 35-7 after the extra point.

In the fourth quarter, Crusader quarterback James Rodriguez scored on 2-yard run to push the lead to 42-7. The Vikings added six more points on a 15-yard run to make the final score 42-13. The win puts the Crusaders into the Section IX Final where they will take on the Middletown Middies on Saturday, Nov. 15 at FDR High School in Hyde Park.