{"id":635,"date":"2021-10-30T06:06:53","date_gmt":"2021-10-30T06:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?p=635"},"modified":"2021-10-31T02:08:39","modified_gmt":"2021-10-31T02:08:39","slug":"st-xavier-manhandles-purples-27-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?p=635","title":{"rendered":"St. Xavier manhandles Purples, 27-0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_191846945-1024x627.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"663\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_191846945-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=663#main\" class=\"wp-image-663\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>Senior quarterback Jack Sivori guided the second-ranked St. Xavier Tigers to a 27-0 victory over Bowling Green High School on Friday night. The game meant the return of former BGHS coach Kevin Wallace, now in his fourth season at St. X.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KICKING GAME MISTAKES DOOM BGHS; GREENWOOD REMATCH IS NEXT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They battled for field position in the early going. Bowling Green High School&#8217;s defense seemed equal to the task, at least for a while. In time, though, second-ranked St. Xavier needed a lift. And the Tigers found it in their special-teams play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">St. Xavier opened the scoring on Mekhi Smith&#8217;s 53-yard punt return for a touchdown with 3:05 left in the first half. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bowling Green stayed within striking distance in the third quarter, but the Purples failed to capitalize on their opportunities. St. Xavier pulled away with 20 points in the fourth quarter, outdistancing the homestanding Purples 27-0 on Friday night at the BGHS football stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_201606783-1024x501.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"671\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_201606783-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=671#main\" class=\"wp-image-671\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>Senior running back Matrix Halcombe had a productive night running the ball for the Purples on Friday night.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bowling Green&#8217;s defense, anchored by senior nose tackle Jeremiah Lightfoot and senior linebacker Tyler Moore, held its own against senior quarterback Jack Sivori and the Tigers&#8217; talented offense. But St. X&#8217;s defense was even better, and the Tigers improved to 9-1 heading into the KHSAA Class 6A playoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BGHS dropped to 5-5 overall, heading into its KHSAA first-round Class 5A playoff game against Greenwood (7-3). The Purples crushed Greenwood 38-8, just two weeks ago, and the Gators are 0-32 lifetime against the Purples on the football field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_204613199-715x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"676\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_204613199.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=676#main\" class=\"wp-image-676\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>St. Xavier coach Kevin Wallace, right, meets with BGHS senior nose tackle Jeremiah Lightfoot after Friday night&#8217;s game. The Tigers relied on defense and the kicking game to stop Bowling Green 27-0.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;They&#8217;ve done a great job with a very young football team,&#8221; St. X coach Kevin Wallace said afterward, meeting with a handful of his former players during the handshake line. &#8220;They&#8217;ve played a difficult schedule.  With us, I&#8217;m disappointed in the turnovers. We hadn&#8217;t had a single turnover in the last five weeks, and we had three or four tonight.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Third-year BGHS coach Mark Spader, Wallace&#8217;s successor, tried to throw the ball to get back in the game in the second half. Freshman quarterback Deuce Bailey struggled with the Tigers&#8217; pass rush and St. X could always recover when the Purples managed to move the ball on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_185610124_HDR.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"675\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_185610124_HDR.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=675#main\" class=\"wp-image-675\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>Senior linebacker Tyler Moore and the Bowling Green defense kept the Purples in the game for three quarters against St. Xavier, but the Tigers pulled away for a 27-0 victory.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senior tailback Matrix Halcomb was particularly effective running the football, but the Purples couldn&#8217;t sustain those drives in the red zone. They also had a field-goal attempt blocked, when the game was still scoreless in the first quarter. Problems with the kicking game, in fact, seemed the swing the pendelum away from the Purples, and into the hands of their capable opponent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It all comes down to special teams,&#8221; Spader said. &#8220;A good team like that will continue to flip the field with their defense, and their kicking game was very solid. We have to put our offense in a position to move the ball and score &#8230; Now, we get started on the (5A) playoffs.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_203554845_2-1024x989.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"666\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_203554845_2.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=666#main\" class=\"wp-image-666\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>Special-teams mistakes doomed the Purples in a 27-0 loss to second-ranked St. Xavier.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_203555953-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"665\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_203555953-1-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=665#main\" class=\"wp-image-665\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>Bowling Green will now turn its attention to a first-round KHSAA Class 5A playoff matchup with Greenwood. The Purples whipped Greenwood two weeks ago<\/strong>, <strong>claiming a 38-8 victory.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">St. Xavier maintained a steady pass on Bailey, the Purples&#8217; talented freshman quarterback. But penalties and a dropped pass in the Tigers&#8217; end zone certainly hurt Bowling Green&#8217;s chances over the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We both have a lot of pride in our football programs,&#8221; Spader said. &#8220;We respect each other&#8217;s football teams. We&#8217;ll probably keep scheduling each other. Their quarterback, Sivori, is hard to handle, and I thought our defense really did a good job against him.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_201525545-1024x497.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"674\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_201525545-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=674#main\" class=\"wp-image-674\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>Deuce Bailey and the Bowling Green Purples will face Greenwood in first-round KHSAA Class 5A play next week.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the first play of the fourth quarter, Sivori lofted a 17-yard touchdown pass to senior St. X receiver Michael Duddy, putting the Tigers in front 14-0. The Tigers&#8217; Justin Walsh scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 3:51 left in the game, and senior cornerback Jackson Poma intercepted a Bailey pass and returned it 32 yards for the game&#8217;s final score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Junior linebacker Devin Geer had two interceptions for the Purples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_202925136_HDR-1024x470.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"678\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_202925136_HDR-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=678#main\" class=\"wp-image-678\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>Senior quarterback Jack Sivori had a strong all-around game for the Tigers, firing a 17-yard touchdown pass in the early moments of the fourth quarter. St. Xavier defeated Bowling Green 27-0, improving to 9-1 on the season.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_204205436_HDR-1024x639.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"677\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211029_204205436_HDR-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=677#main\" class=\"wp-image-677\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>Bowling Green coach Mark Spader addresses his team after the Purples&#8217; 27-0 loss to St. Xavier on Friday night.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KICKING GAME MISTAKES DOOM BGHS; GREENWOOD REMATCH IS NEXT They battled for field position in the early going. Bowling Green [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hsfootball"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=635"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":683,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635\/revisions\/683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}