Guerin Catholic does not have the biggest football team in the state this season.
But in their season-opener Friday against McCutcheon, the Golden Eagles played bigger than they looked, especially on defense. That led Guerin to a 14-7 victory over the Mavericks at the Eagles Nest, a game that wasn’t decided until the final minute.
McCutcheon had the ball near the GC 10-yard line with 59 seconds left, but the Golden Eagles induced four consecutive incomplete passes from the Mavs. That gave Class 3A No. 9 Guerin Catholic its second straight Week 1 victory, and its fifth in the last six years.
“We’re small, we’re feisty,” said GC coach Tom Dilley.
The Golden Eagles scored one touchdown in each of the first two quarters. Max McGreal hauled in a 23-yard pass from Sam Miller in the first period, then Jagger Albert took off for a 51-yard rush into the end zone in the second quarter. Addison Lushin kicked both extra points.
Dilley was also pleased with how the younger players performed, as Guerin has several new players on the field this year.
“There were a lot of guys in brand-new spots,” said Dilley. “All of them, one way or another, did what they had to do. They didn’t do it well every time, they didn’t do it perfectly by any means, but they played hard and they battled and they tried to do their part and play for their brothers. So from that standpoint, I’m proud of them.”
The Golden Eagles play next week at Decatur Central, the No. 5 team in 5A.
GUERIN CATHOLIC 14, McCUTCHEON 7
Score by Quarters
McCutcheon 0 7 0 0 – 7
Guerin Catholic 7 7 0 0 – 14
Team Stats MHS GC
First Downs 10 8
By Rush 4 5
By Pass 4 2
By Penalty 2 1
Rushes-Yards 33-90 33-98
Yards Passing 141 56
Comp-Att-Int-TD 8-26-1-1 6-10-0-1
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 4-40 3-30
Punts-Average 4-33.3 5-25.8
Guerin Catholic Scoring
First Quarter
Max McGreal 23-yard pass from Sam Miller (Addison Lushin kick)
Second Quarter
Jagger Albert 51-yard run (Lushin kick)
Guerin Catholic individual stats were not available due to technical difficulties