Lake Catholic vs. Padua football: Cougars overcome first-half woes for 21-13 victory over Bruins

Sep. 29—It was a first half that Lake Catholic wanted to erase from its memory. The Cougars hit the road for a Crown conference tilt against Padua on Sept. 29 and had five first-half turnovers.

The Bruins recorded two scores off those and pitched a shutout in the first half. But halftime adjustments put the Cougars right back in the game.

Frankie Trinetti had two touchdown throws to Cross Nimmo and a run by Josh Styles gave Lake Catholic the lead and three forced turnovers by the defense and special teams sealed the game as the Cougars won, 21-13.

The early issues forced the Cougars (6-1) to rethink their game plan. Padua caused three turnover on downs and recovered a fumble.

With the beneficial field position, the Bruins had Roderick Love run for a one-yard score, and quarterback Nick Barker found Riley Cerveka for a 34-yard touchdown reception.

Even with their backs against the wall, the Cougars' coaching staff kept the message simple at the half. Trinetti knew he needed to trust his decision-making, and they had a chance at the comeback.

"We knew that we needed to come together as us," Trinetti said. "We didn't need to worry about Padua. We had to worry about our game and what we were doing. The first half was our worst half of the year, so we knew our second half needed to be the best half of the year."

After the defense forced a quick Padua drive to open the second half, the offense came to life. It was a combination of bursts from Styles and quick strikes from Trinetti to his receiving core.

Trinetti finished the contest at 23-for-35 for 237 yards and a pair of scores, while Styles finished with 187 rushing yards for a score. He got Lake Catholic on the board with a nine-yard run in the third quarter.

With the balanced attack, Trinetti knew it allowed for Lake Catholic to have the game at his pace. The Cougars were able to establish the run game, and that in turn opened the pass game.

"We knew they were going to bring the house a lot," Trinetti said. "So we got the ball to Josh, ran a lot of stretches to get him outside. Our tackles did a great job tonight setting the edge, and he would get around them and go."

After a turnover on downs, Lake Catholic went to the air and Trinetti found Nimmo for a juggling 39-yard score that gave the Cougars the lead. But Nimmo's impact was felt on the next defensive series as well.

He picked up a sack and the Bruins were forced to punt. On the ensuing offensive possession, Nimmo found himself with the ball in his hands again as he had a 13-yard reception for his second score of the game.

"Coming into the half, Coach Marty (Gibbons) came up to me and said, 'Cross, it's time for a big game,'" Nimmo said. "And I did everything that I could. I got the sack, got hype with the team and then scored those touchdowns. With Frankie, he saw I was open down the sideline. It's all about the team and for the team."

Nimmo finished the game with 112 yards on six catches with the two scores. Ace Peterlin was right behind him with seven catches for 58 yards, as well as an interception on the ensuing defensive possession.

But a late turnover on downs by Lake Catholic kept the door open for Padua. Barker scrambled to complete passes and drive the Bruins down field. From the Lake Catholic 10, he faced another collapsed pocket.

He threw the ball up but the Cougars saw Jimmy Rhodes with the interception to seal the game. While it wasn't his primary route to cover on the play, he saw his chance to finish the contest.

"We were in high coverage, and I was playing my technique," Rhodes said. "I saw the in breaking route and that the quarterback had pressure on him. I knew he wasn't going to run it, so he was going to throw it up. I kept my eyes on the receiver and came down with the ball."

Barber finished 11 of 18 for 142 yards with a touchdown and pair of interceptions. He also ran for 69 yards.

Lake Catholic goes for its seventh win when its travel to Pennsylvania to take on Erie on Oct. 6.

THE SCORE

Lake Catholic 21, Padua 13