Archbishop Moeller football puts the clamps on Elder, winning SBLive Ohio Top 10 matchup
Photo by Jeff Harwell
CINCINNATI, Ohio – Archbishop Moeller needed less than three minutes to impose its will and defeat Elder 42-14 in a battle between two Top 10 teams in the SBLive Ohio Top 25.
Moeller, the No. 3-ranked team in the SBLive Ohio Top 25, led 14-7 and then scored four touchdowns in a span of 2:40 in the second quarter to run away from the Panthers. Junior running back Jordan Marshall scored the first three those touchdowns in less than two minutes.
The first of those touchdowns came after Moeller forced Elder, ranked No. 9 in the SBLive Ohio Top 25, to punt on its second possession of the game. On the initial play of the drive, Marshall took it 80 yards for the score with 9:16 left in the quarter.
On Elder’s next possession, Brandon Martin sacked quarterback Ben Schoster and forced a fumble that was recovered by Moeller’s Dominic Vallier at Elder’s 33.
After Moeller quarterback Luke Dunn hit Eli Jacon-Duffy for a 32-yard pass, Marshall finished the drive with a touchdown run from one yard out.
On the ensuing kickoff, Moeller forced another Elder turnover when Kyler Paul recovered an Edler fumble to give Moeller the ball back at the Elder 35.
Four plays later, Marshall was again standing in the endzone, this time after a 24-yard touchdown run that made the score 35-7. It was the fourth touchdown of the game for Marshall, who also scored on Moeller’s first possession of the game and led the Crusaders with 138 yards rushing on 10 carries.
After yet another fumble by Elder on the kickoff – this one forced by Paul and recovered by Brett Kelley – Moeller found paydirt once again when Dunn hooked up with Josiah Love for a 31-yard touchdown pass. Dunn completed 12 of his 14 attempts in the game for 133 yards.
That would be three turnovers and four touchdowns in less than three minutes to completely change the complexion of the game.
The teams were tied 7-7 in the first quarter after Elder’s Carson Browne made one of the catches of the year for a 13-yard touchdown.
Moeller’s Alec Weeder gave Moeller the lead back in the final minute of the first quarter with a 67-yard touchdown run. He finished the game with 109 yards on 13 carries.
Elder’s only other score came on a 62-yard run by Evan Meier late in the fourth quarter.
The win moves Moeller to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the Greater Catholic League, giving the Crusaders their first outright GCL title since 2018. Elder drops to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in the GCL.
Moeller, also ranked No. 23 in the national SBLive Power 25, will make its second trip to Northeast Ohio in week 8, as they travel to Parma’s Byers Field for a clash with St. Ignatius at 4 p.m. Saturday.
