On a brisk sunny day on at MultiSport Field, Georgetown’s football team (3-8, 1-5 Patriot League) earned its first conference win against the Holy Cross Crusaders (4-8, 2-4 Patriot League). The game marked the Hoyas’ first win since Sept. 20 and ended a six-game skid for the Hoyas on the team’s Senior Day.
Senior defensive end Alec May was happy to close out his athletic career on the Hilltop on a high note.
Senior defensive end Alec May broke the single-season sack record of 16 sacks on a four-yard sack during the second quarter.
“It’s a great way to go out with these seniors,” May said. “I’ve been through four years together [with them]. I love all these guys, it’s a great way to end it.”
In addition to finishing his career at Georgetown with a victory, May broke the single-season sack record of 16 sacks held by Janne Kouri (MSB ‘97) on a four-yard sack of Crusaders sophomore quarterback Peter Pujals during the second quarter.
“I don’t care too much about the record,” May said. “The thing [that] I think is cool is when you think about the great players – not just the defensive linemen, but the great players that have played in this program, whether it’s Janne Kouri, Alex Buzbee (COL ‘07) or Andrew Schaetzke (MSB ‘17). To be in the conversation and just be noticed with them is awesome and I couldn’t have done it without the rest of the defensive line and the whole defense.”
A win was not always in the cards, as Georgetown’s offense could not get anything going in the first quarter. Its first four possessions resulted in punts, and the team did not get a first down until the 5:47 mark.
Holy Cross took advantage of Georgetown’s struggling offense by striking first in the game, as junior kicker Connor Fitzgerald hit a 31-yard field goal for the Crusaders at the 6:10 mark of the first quarter to put Holy Cross ahead by 3-0.
Things started clicking for the Blue & Gray in the second quarter. Senior safety John Egan intercepted Pujals at the Georgetown 10-yard line with 7:45 left in the quarter, allowing Georgetown’s offense to find its groove.
After junior running back Jo’el Kimpela rushed 11 yards for a first down, junior quarterback Kyle Nolan found sophomore wide receiver Justin Hill for a 20-yard completion to the Georgetown 46-yard line. Once they got in the red zone, Nolan found sophomore tight end Matthew Buckman in the flat for a 10-yard touchdown, which capped off an impressive 13-play, 95-yard TD drive.
After Holy Cross was unable to get a first down at the end of the first half, the Crusaders sent Fitzgerald onto the field to attempt a field goal to close the deficit. Just before Fitzgerald got the kick off, Georgetown Head Coach Rob Sgarlata called a timeout to throw his timing off.
When play resumed after the break, sophomore defensive back Porter Huntley came flying around the edge and blocked Fitzgerald’s kick. Huntley’s block allowed Georgetown to retrieve the ball and run the clock out and maintain its 7-3 lead at the half.
When the teams returned to the field after halftime, Holy Cross senior backup quarterback Ryan Laughlin replaced Pujals, who took a hard hit in the second quarter and was evaluated for a concussion. Laughlin made an immediate impact on the game, completing an efficient touchdown drive in three minutes by running for a four-yard touchdown to put Holy Cross ahead 10-7.
Georgetown answered right back in impressive fashion. After senior running back Daniel Wright rushed to the Georgetown 37-yard line, Nolan found Hill for a 26-yard catch to the Holy Cross 37-yard line, and then hit Hill again on the next play on a beautifully-thrown ball for a 37-yard touchdown catch to reclaim the lead at 14-10. Neither team would score again for the rest of the third quarter, trading possession and field position back and forth.
Luckily for the Hoyas, Kimpela took over in the fourth quarter. On the team’s first possession of the quarter, Georgetown handed the ball off to Kimpela for seven straight plays, resulting in a three-yard touchdown run that pushed the score to 21-10.
“The offensive line just kept pushing,” Kimpela said. “You know we stayed together, we kept trusting the plays Coach Neuberger called and it was just working. We did it as a group.”
Sgarlata explained Georgetown’s run-heavy offensive strategy.
“We were trying to do a really good job of managing the clock and shortening the possessions,” Sgarlata said. “We didn’t want to Holy Cross to have a lot of shots at our defense. Having a consistent run game and being able to move the chains running the ball and take 40 seconds off the clock.”
The stout Georgetown defense kept Holy Cross out of the end zone until the last series of the game. Holy Cross’ Laughlin found senior wide receiver Tyler Artim for a touchdown as time expired. The Crusaders’ last-second touchdown put the final score at 21-16.
Sgarlata praised the team’s performance in its last game of the season.
“[I] Couldn’t be prouder of the way we played today,” Sgarlata said. “I told the kids before the game that it was going to be a pretty even matchup talent-wise and whichever team came out and played more physical and had more desire to win the game would win. It’s a typical Georgetown-Holy Cross right there. We’ve had a lot of battles with them.”
