Photo by Tammie Martin/ossports
The 185 mile trip to Houston spoke volumes about the prep school out of San Antonio. Traveling that distance without the services of its all-American receiver Byron Armstrong, who suffered a high ankle sprang, concerned the Apaches. Yet the generosity of a team effort secured the critical matters.
Its defense forced five turnovers, and senior quarterback Zach Schwalen threw six touchdowns as St. Pius X fell, 44-21, on Friday evening at Kubiak Stadium.
With the win, Antonian Prep improved to (4-0, 1-0) in district play.
Four of the five turnovers made work of short fields and tallied 24 points for Antonian Prep. Linebacker Will Fertitta, who accounted for an interception, spearheaded the defense with several tackles. His help came from fellow linebackers Jalen Appleby and Marcus Lozano.
“We knew going into it would be one of those games we couldn’t make many mistakes, and you saw tonight we made a couple of mistakes at key critical times,” St. Pius X coach Greg Cranfill explained.
“I thought we executed well on offense, defense, and in the kicking game,” Apaches coach Danny Padron said. “When you do all those, you have a chance to win the ball game. We are very proud.”
Schwalen’s exciting evening turned out to be worth the two-year wait behind former standout quarterback Khalil Warfield, now at UTEP. He finished his day, 20-of-27 with 278 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception. That gives him 1,122 yards and 18 touchdowns on the season. Ramirez caught four passes for 68 yards and two scores, Gabe Foltz had five receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown, McDonald reeled in two passes for 60 yards and a touchdown.
“I think Zach has really helped us a bunch,” says coach Padron. “Making the right decisions and getting the ball to people. He made some great throws today.”
Antonia (4-0, 1-0) stopped the Panthers on fourth and five at midfield to force a turnover on downs. On its first play from scrimmage, it benefited from a personal foul (face mask), pushing the ball to the Panthers 34 yard line. A few plays later, running back Jonathan Conwell ripped off 26 yards to the eight-yard line. Despite a fumble in the backfield, fans watched Conwell recover the ball at the 11, a three loss. On the next play, Schwalen threw a dart to receiver Maddox McDonald who ran a precision slant pattern to put the Apaches up 7-0 following Gabriel Torres’ extra-point kick with 7:50 left in the first quarter.
“We knew going into this game, Antonian was a tough team, and we felt like they had some talent in positions that would be hard for us to stop,” coach Greg Cranfill mentioned.
The Panthers (3-1, 0-1) responded by marching 72 yards in eight plays. Quarterback Carson Rogers tossed a screen pass to tight end Logan Tanner, who stretched into a 40-yard pickup at the A 32. Following a false start, Rogers found Tanner at the two, and tailback Andre Ferrow bulled his way into the end zone with 4:18 left and St. Pius X tied the game, 7-7 after kicker Tanner Hansen’s point after touchdown.
“But I will say, our kids fought,” Panthers coach Cranfill said. “That’s what makes me proud as a coach, and that’s what I told them. Sometimes stuff like this has to happen early in the season in order for us to be a better football team at the end, and it’s still early in the season.”
St. Pius X stopped the Apaches on its next two possession and capitalized on a 91-yard scoring drive. Rogers’ 29-yard pass to receiver Ricky Thomas Jr. at Antonia Prep’s four-yard line set up the go-ahead touchdown when Ferrow went in from a yard out to regain the lead, 14-7 following Hansen’s extra point kick.
Rogers passed for 129 yards on 8-of-15 attempts, one touchdown, three interceptions, and a fumble. Ferrow, crowned homecoming king at halftime, rushed 24 times for 167 yards and two scores.
Over the next couple of series, the Apaches scored 10 points to build a 17-14 lead. Schwalen hooked up with his favorite target receiver Isaiah Ramirez who weaved through the St. Pius X defense for 24 yards at the 39. From there, the five-play balance attack ended on Schwalen’s eight-yard scoring pass to receiver Curran Strode. That evened the score at 14 with 3:21 remaining in the second quarter.
“In the first half, I struggled,” Apaches quarterback Zach Schwalen admitted. “We haven’t been down all season. To be down, It felt weird. We just bounced back and kept fighting.”
After, Torres drilled a 26-yard field goal with 1:31 left in the first half. Antonian Prep led 17-14.
In the second half, the Panthers begin to unravel. Defensive back Miguel Galicia intercepted Schwalen at the St. Pius X five-yard line. However, the Panthers offense struggled to sustain a drive.
Meanwhile, Antonian would score on its next four drives to put the game away. Appleby and Fertitta’s interceptions fueled two of its touchdowns.
Under an extensive rush, Schwalen scrambled out of the pocket while converting a pair of big plays. Mcdonald grabbed a 44-yard strike, and Ramirez, who had gotten behind the defense, caught a 25-yard touchdown pass. That made the score 37-14 at the end of the third quarter.
Late in the fourth quarter, St. Pius X managed a 99-yard frame that featured six carries by Ferrow, accumulating 87 yards. Rogers’ 10-yard scoring pass to receiver Ricky Thomas, Jr. capped the game totals, 44-21.
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