Clinging to a one-point lead in the second half, banged-up Blessed Trinity was in need of a spark. Senior running back and linebacker Garrett Dupuis, who played every snap of a bruising season opener, delivered.
Dupuis fueled two fourth-quarter scoring drives, sealing a 17-6 opening win for the Titans over St. Pius with a tackle-breaking 69-yard touchdown run on Friday night at Blessed Trinity.
Dupuis also bolstered the Titans’ defense, which didn’t allow a touchdown and came up with multiple key Red Zone stops to help Blessed Trinity knock off St. Pius for the third straight time.
RELATED: More Photos from Blessed Trinity vs. St. Pius X
Dupuis was forced to play extra snaps on offense, after starting running back Milton Shelton pulled a quad muscle in the first half, Titans coach Tim McFarlin said. Blessed Trinity also was without its top receiver in senior Matthew Higgins and junior right tackle Jacob Bolton. Higgins and Bolton are out for the season for the second-ranked Titans.
“My fear was that we were going to get worn down,” McFarlin said.
It looked like that might happen in the second half. '
Trailing 7-3, St. Pius took opening kickoff of the second half and grinded out a 15-play drive down to the Blessed Trinity 13-yard line. The drive took 12 minutes off the clock, but the Golden Lions had to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Nick Jones that cut the Blessed Trinity lead to 7-6 late in the third quarter.
Blessed Trinity answered with a long drive of its own. Dupuis carried the ball six times during the drive, including a 33-yard burst that set up Adam Fenlon’s 25-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
After the Titans’ defense forced a punt on St. Pius' ensuing possession, Dupuis broke free off right tackle, shook off multiple tacklers and raced in for a clinching 69-yard touchdown with five minutes to play.
“It was tough," said Dupuis, who finished with 130 yards rushing, "but that's how it always is against St. Pius. I've been playing against those guys since seventh grade."
In an era of up-tempo, no-huddle offenses, St. Pius took its time, consistently running the playclock to the final seconds before snapping the ball. It allowed the Golden Lions to dominate time of possession, but didn’t produce many points.
Both defenses controlled the action in the first half. The Titans grabbed a 7-0 lead on a 46-yard touchdown from quarterback Conor Davis to J.D. Bertrand late in the first quarter. But after that big play, which came on a third down, Blessed Trinity never seriously threatened the rest of the half and was lucky to be ahead 7-3 at halftime.
The St. Pius defense forced three turnovers in the first half, all three in Blessed Trinity territory. Harrison Bernhardt had an interception and recovered a fumble, and Michael Bresnahan also had an interception in the first half. But the Golden Lions managed only three points on a 41-yard field goal from Jones. Jones missed his other two opportunities of the first half.
“Our defense was the MVP of the game tonight,” McFarlin said.
--
St. Pius 0 3 3 0 -- 6
Blessed Trinity 7 0 0 10 -- 17
BT -- J.D. Bertrand 46 pass from Conor Davis (Adam Fenlon kick)
2nd qtr
SP -- Nick Jones 41 field goal
3rd qtr
SP -- Jones 30 field goal
4th qtr
BT -- Fenlon 25 field goal
BT -- Garrett Dupuis 69 run (Fenlon kick)
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