John Curtis outlasts Rummel to win second straight Catholic League title

Watch the complete game replay of Curtis-Rummel

METAIRIE – John Curtis wrapped up a second consecutive outright Catholic League title Friday night, but as J.T. Curtis expected, it was anything but easy.

The Patriots defeated Rummel 42-34 at the Shrine on Airline in a game televised by Crescent City Sports on CST.

Curtis (8-1, 5-0) has a two-game lead in District 9-5A heading into next Saturday’s season finale against Shaw at Hoss Memtsas. Rummel (5-3, 2-3) is back at the Shrine next Friday to meet St. Augustine.

Though the Patriots never trailed, it was a back-and-forth affair, one in which Rummel had the football with a chance to drive for a tying score in the final minutes. The Patriots made a fourth-down stop near midfield with less than a minute to play to preserve the victory.

“You hope somebody’s going to make a big play,” said Curtis, whose team allowed the most points it has given up in any of his 566 career victories. “I told people before we came into here, I knew it would be this kind of competitive game, because that’s the way this league is.”

Quarterback Collin Guggenheim accounted for 278 of Curtis’ 442 total yards, rushing for 130 yards and two touchdowns and passing for 148 yards and another score. Darryan Washington contributed 96 yards on the ground and three scores for the Patriots.

The Patriots’ Veer offense had large success with the counter option.

“(Rummel brings) a lot of heat from the outside in,” Curtis said. “That’s what they have done in the past. We felt  like we could get the ball on the corner. It was a little soft out there because they were jamming to stop the inside run.”

Washington’s 32-yard run on Curtis’ second possession opened the scoring, but Rummel quickly answered back on a 44-yard catch and run by Evan Francioni to tie the game.

The first four minutes of the second quarter were frantic, with four touchdowns scored – three by the Patriots.

Washington’s 1-yard run on the first play of the second quarter gave Curtis a 14-7 lead. Jermie Walker’s kickoff return to the Curtis 14-yard line put the Raiders back in business, and Keirell Jackson capitalized three plays later with a 4-yard run to tie it again at 14-all with 10:54 left in the quarter.

It took the Patriots all of two plays to get the lead back. Guggenheim found a wide-open Glenn Beal for a 56-yard touchdown to make it 21-14.

An  interception of Rummel quarterback Chandler Fields set up a short field, and Guggenheim capitalized with a 4-yard run to make it 28-14 with 8:13 left before halftime.

Rummel missed a field goal on its next possession and neither team mustered a significant threat the rest of the half.

Curtis again intercepted Fields early in the third quarter, and one play later, Guggenheim ran 31 yards for a TD to extend the Patriots lead to 35-14.

Rummel wasn’t done, as Fields tossed touchdown passes on the Raiders’ next two possessions – to JaMarr Chase for 14 yards and Cole Young for a 5-yard score. A blocked extra point left the Curtis lead at 35-27.

Curtis responded quickly as Washington rambled 31 yards to make it 42-27 with less than three minutes to play in the third quarter.

Rummel forced a Patriot fumble on the next possession, leading to a 3-yard run by Jackson that made it a one-score game again.

The Raiders got a stop and forced a punt, getting the ball back at its 9-yard line with 3:34 left. Fields drove Rummel into Curtis territory, but a sack by Jay Curtis and an incompletion ended Rummel’s final chance.

“The sack by Jay was a huge play,” Curtis said. “It gave them a long-distance play (on fourth down) when we knew they had to go deep.”

Beal was Guggenheim’s top target, catching five passes for 95 yards, as the Patriots had a 442-329 advantage in total yards.

For Rummel, Chase finished with 10 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown, while Jackson turned in his second consecutive 100-yard performance, rushing for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.

Since 1971, only Brother Martin – who scored 40 points in an overtime win over Curtis two years ago – has scored more against a Patriot defense than Rummel put on the board Friday night.