Crusaders winning streak ends with loss to Tigers
Central Valley. The varsity football team’s season record is still strong at 6-1.
| 21 Oct 2024 | 05:03
Crusader Louis Meade, #3, tackles a Tiger late in the game. (
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Matvii Butiuhin, #40, kicked a 22-yard field goal in the first quarter to give the Crusaders a 3-0 lead. (
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Nate Coulanges, #5, scores on a eight-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. (
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On a cool Friday night, Oct. 18, the Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders varsity football team hosted the Tigers of Kingston in an important league game. The Crusaders entered the game with a 6-0 record after beating Washingtonville 28-24 in their last game. The Tigers came to Central Valley with a 2-4 record after dropping their last game to Valley Central 28-24.
In the first quarter, after an exchange of possessions, Crusader defensive lineman Luis Rodas-Paz stopped a Kinston drive when he recovered a fumble. The Crusaders then drove down into the Tigers’ territory and took a three-point lead when Matvii Butiuhin kicked a 22-yard field goal. Near the end of the first half, Crusader Ronald Chambers stopped a Tiger drive with a sack.
The Tigers quickly turned things around on the Crusaders. They scored on an interception for a touchdown after they missed their two-point attempt; the Tigers then had a 6-3 half time lead. In the third quarter, both teams’ defenses took control and neither team was able to score.
Going into the fourth quarter, down 6-3, the Crusaders’ unbeaten streak was on the line. Half way through the fourth quarter, the Tigers increased their lead when they scored on an eight-yard touchdown pass and when their two-point attempt failed again, they had a 12-3 lead with under seven minutes left in the game.
The Crusaders’ offense responded and scored on their next trip down the field with Nate Coulanges running it into the end zone from eight yards out. With the extra point the score was 12-10 with 4:30 left in the game. The Crusader defense then stopped the Tigers and gave the offense one last chance. The Crusaders’ last drive and chance to go undefeated went up in smoke when Tiger Joseph McDonald made a leaping interception on the 15-yard line and the Tigers had a 12-10 upset victory over the Crusaders. The Crusaders’ loss brought their record to 6-1 for the season. Their next game will be Friday when they travel to Valley Central to play the Vikings.