Preview: John Curtis vs. Holy Cross

The John Curtis Patriots (6-0) return to the Shrine to take on the Holy Cross Tigers (2-5) at 7:00 p.m. on Friday night.

John Curtis continued its perfect season push last week, taking down the St. Augustine Purple Knights in a nail biter, 28-26. The Patriots continued to rely on their running game, as the combined efforts of Collin Guggenheim, Marquese Albert and Ernest Jones put up 192 rushing yards that set up two ground and pound scores. However, St. Augustine was not going to go away easily, matching Curtis on almost every drive. Alas, the Patriots' defense prevailed, as has become customary in close games for this squad, racking up three interceptions and a fumble recovery that led to St. Augustine's demise. Tyler Blanco led the team with 12 tackles, while Andres' Seymour added nine of his own in the winning effort. Curtis and Rummel sit atop the Catholic League, both undefeated at 6-0 (3-0 in district), and seem to be gearing up for another regular season championship showdown in a few weeks.

Holy Cross had it handed to them last week, dropping a 42-10 contest to Brother Martin at Zephyr Field. Bruce Jordan-Swilling, John-Paul Pierce and Jeremy Singleton dropped most of the damage on them, with Jordan-Swilling taking most of the second half off since the game was well in hand. The Crusader defense held a hobbled Ashton Smith in check, holding him to just 18 rushing yards on the evening, which put the entire game on QB Chandler Fields' shoulders. The pressure proved too much for the gunslinger, as Tre Swilling, a Georgia Tech commit, was ball hawking all night long, swatting away most of Fields' sideline routes to Kym Wimberly and Albion Ford, his top two receiving targets. The linebacking core took care of the rest, stuffing the gaps when Smith tried to charge through the line, and forcing Fields to move outside the pocket on nearly every throw. Fields still managed to put together 202 passing yards on the evening, finally connecting for a touchdown to Wimberly late in the fourth quarter, but it just wasn't enough to overcome Brother Martin's onslaught. Tyler Grubbs continued his dominance for the Tigers, leading the team with 13 tackles and strengthening his case for the All-Freshmen and All-Metro teams come the end of the year.

This matchup could be more of the same for the Tigers, as John Curtis' stingy defense and powerful rushing attack will create havoc on both sides of the ball for Holy Cross, and if Ashton Smith cannot create more production out of the backfield, it will certainly be another long night for his team. Be sure to come check this one out at 7:00 p.m. on Friday night under the lights at the Shrine on Airline.

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