By Stan Caldwell/228Sports
HATTIESBURG — St. Patrick opened its 2023 football season on a disappointing note Friday night against Sacred Heart.
The Fighting Irish got off on the wrong foot as they dropped a 28-13 defeat at Crusader Field in the Battle for the Bishop’s Bell, which goes annually to the winner of the clash between two of the high schools in the Biloxi Diocese.
St. Patrick (6-2 last season) will take an 0-1 record into its trip to Bowling Green (La.) next week, while the Crusaders (1-0), who finished 2-8 a year ago, will also travel next week, to West Lincoln.
“We basically started from scratch July 31,” said first-year head coach Oscar Glasscock. “We’re in our fourth week; we installed a whole new offense, a whole defense, special teams, we had new coaches starting.
“Everything is new, and I’m super-proud of these coaches and the players. I felt like, especially the second half, some things came together for us.”
Sacred Heart jumped ahead after the Fighting Irish were stopped following one first down on the opening possession of the game.
The Crusaders drove 53 yards on eight plays, getting the score on a 1-yard run by senior D.J. Booth.
St. Pat answered right back emphatically, gobbling up 75 yards on just four plays.
Following runs of 11 and 3 yards from junior Sutton Harvey, junior quarterback Jonathan D’Angelo hit junior Chaz Byers on swing pass to the left side, and Byers tiptoed down the sideline for a 23-yard pickup.
On the next play, sophomore Alden Williams burst off left tackle, into the clear and dashed untouched to the end zone for a 38-yard scoring play.
“A lot of it was we were trying some stuff out early in the first quarter that was working too well,” said junior quarterback Jonathan D’Angelo. “The second quarter, things started to get s little more together.”
Williams was a bright spot for the Irish on both sides of the ball, rushing for 72 yards on eight carries.
“I thought Alden Williams had a fantastic game for us tonight,” said Glasscock. “He’s a playmaker, and we’re going to get him the ball.”
However, Sacred Heart needed little time to regain the lead for good, with a 70-yard lightning strike from junior quarterback Kyron Murphy to junior Brad Marrero, who was wide open over the middle.
The Crusaders got the ball right back on the game’s only turnover, a fumble at the Irish 32-yard-line, but the Irish stiffened on defense, then partially blocked a 30-yard field goal attempt.
Still, Sacred Heart wasn’t to be denied, at least not in the first half. The Crusaders took over at their own 43 after a St. Patrick punt and needed eight plays to cover the 57 yards to paydirt.
Booth opened the drive with an 11-yard run over left tackle. Murphy then converted a third-and-9 with a 20-yard strike to junior Gary Duckworth, Booth rambled 16 yards to the Irish 9, and on second down, Murphy connected with sophomore Ethan Riddick.
The Fighting Irish did a better job slowing Booth down in he second half, but the Crusader senior still ran for 139 yards on 21 carries.
The Fighting Irish had a chance to cut into the lead midway through the third quarter. Driving from their own 23 to the Crusader 30 on a splendid sleight-of-hand fake from D’Angelo, who turned the play into a 47-yard gain.
“I thought Jon D’Angelo was extremely poised tonight,” said Glasscock. “He hung in there. That’s what I was really proud about, because we had a lot of questions in the first half.
“It looked like (Sacred Heart) was sort of separating a little bit, but we talked to them at halftime, I said I want to see a team that comes together, not drifts apart. They’re great character kids, and that what they did.”
But St. Pat was unable to get any closer, and sophomore Byron Theriot’s 50-yard field goal attempt came up just short.
Sacred Heart applied the coup de grace midway through the fourth quarter, and it was Booth who delivered the blo
Booth ran for 7 yards to cash in a third-and-2 near midfield, then picked up 17 yards on a third-and-18 and crashed over the left side on fourth-and-1 for 20 yards to the Irish 2. Booth capped the drive with a dash around right end on the next play.
Although the game was out of reach, true to the name, the Fighting Irish answered with a six-play scoring drive, getting the touchdown on a 13-yard pass from D’Angelo to junior Andrew Lowery.
“That’s a very good football team over there,” Glasscock said of Sacred Heart. “They’re well-coached and they’re experienced. They showed a lot of poise, but I also liked our poise.
“That punching it in there on that last drive, that was huge for us. That’s something we can really build on. I think this can be a special group if they keep working hard.”
D’Angelo had a productive night for St. Patrick, completing 7 of 12 passes for 79 yards and rushing nine times for a net of 57 yards, including a 12-yard sack in the first half.
“We just need to know our roles a little better,” said D’Angelo. “That’s what practice is for. We’re going to do our jobs the next week and keep working our butts off to get ready for our next game.”
