Carroll fights past Kapaun, wins City League crown

Kapaun Mount Carmel seemed close at times Friday to changing its fortune after 17 frustrating years of football battles with Bishop Carroll.

There was the perfect start in which the Crusaders rode the wind to an early 13-point lead.

There were 19 stunning seconds of the third quarter in which Kapaun used a safety and quick touchdown strike to turn an eight-point deficit into a one-point lead.

But Carroll, with an outright City League title hanging in the balance, didn’t lose its cool. The Golden Eagles executed at all the right moments and held off Kapaun 30-22 for its 20th consecutive victory in the series.

Carroll (7-1, 6-0 City League), No. 3 in Class 5A, completed an unbeaten regular-season run in league play to claim sole possession of the title in longtime assistant Dusty Trail’s first season as head coach.

“We tried to stay positive,” Carroll quarterback Braden Howell said. “It was frustrating at times.

“But I told the guys, ‘We’ve got to stay positive.’ Good things and bad things were going to happen to both teams, and we knew the good things were going to happen.”

With a strong southerly breeze helping to dictate offensive effectiveness, Carroll scored nine fourth-quarter points to take the victory. Howell passed for 169 yards and four touchdowns, and sealed the victory with his 100th rushing yard in the game’s final minute.

Howell’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Cade Becker on the first play of the fourth quarter gave Carroll the lead for good at 27-22. After Carson Lee booted a 41-yard field goal to stretch the lead to eight with 6:05 remaining, the Eagles turned Kapaun back on its final two possessions to continue a winning streak over the Crusaders that started in the 2000 regular season.

“I’ve liked how these kids have responded all year long,” Trail said. “These guys are resilient. We’ve been put in some tough spots so far this season, but we’ve always bounced back and made plays and given ourselves chances to win.”

The challenges came in several different ways for the Eagles on Friday.

Kapaun took advantage of the wind in the first quarter to build a 13-0 lead. Senior Preston Williams sandwiched field goals of 24 and 41 yards around a 63-yard touchdown pass from Jack Hacking to Mark Hutton, who beat his defender on a fly route.

The Crusaders held Carroll to three-and-outs on each of its first-quarter possessions and outgatined the Eagles 136-3.

“It kind of seemed like whoever had the wind was the one who was getting going,” said Kapaun running back Nick Channel, who ran for 113 yards on 20 carries. “It was hard for us to throw and after our first couple drives, they started to figure out how to stop our run.”

With the wind at its back in the second quarter, Carroll came alive.

Howell, who was 0 for 4 passing in the opening quarter, made his first completion a big one, connecting with Thomas Helten for 17 yards on a fourth-and-11 play that moved the ball to Kapaun’s 12. On the next play, he hit tight end Clay Cundiff on a crossing route for a touchdown that cut Kapaun’s lead to 13-7.

The Eagles took the lead on their next drive. Howell hit Cundiff with a swing pass on the first play for a 25-yard gain. Three plays later, on third and 10, Howell’s swing pass to running back Desmond Smith went for a 34-yard touchdown.

Kapaun got the lone first down by either team going into the wind on its ensuing drive, as running back Nick Channel broke loose for 64 yards. But a holding penalty stalled the Crusaders, and they turned the ball over on downs at Carroll’s 27.

Howell and Helten combined for the Eagles’ third touchdown of the quarter, a 26-yard pass down the left sideline. Howell was 8 of 17 for 139 yards in the half, and Carroll led 21-13.

Carroll faced another dose of adversity early in the third quarter when Smith was injured on a two-yard gain near midfield. He was transported off the field with his right leg wrapped in an air splint.

The Eagles led 21-13 at the time, but that soon changed. After Kapaun’s Kevin Mills unleashed a wind-aided, 83-yard punt that came to rest at Carroll’s 1, the Crusaders scored a safety one play later. After a free kick, Hacking found Jacob Schmitz over the middle for a 56-yard touchdown, and Kapaun regained the lead at 22-21.

“When Des went down, you know, he’s a big part of our offense,” Howell said. “I felt for him. He’s one of my good friends.

“I definitely put a little more weight on my shoulders and tried to run the ball more.”

Howell ended the third quarter by gaining eight yards on a fourth-and-2 play to advance the ball to Kapaun’s 24. He wasted no time getting it into the end zone, connecting with Becker seven seconds into the final frame.

Carroll’s defense limited Kapaun to 3 of 14 passing in the two quarters in the two quarters the Crusaders drove into the wind.

“We gave up a few big plays tonight,” Trail said. “That’s going to happen when we play an aggressive style of defense. We understand that. But our defense stepped up when it had to.”

This story was originally published October 20, 2017 at 10:48 PM with the headline "Carroll fights past Kapaun, wins City League crown."