GEORGETOWN -- What happens when two high-powered offenses collide in the high-school playoffs? A football score that looks more like a basketball final.
Dakota Kresta scooted across the goal line with a 12-yard touchdown run with 1:47 remaining in the game Friday night to nail things down as the St. Paul Cardinals emerged with a 72-63 victory over Garland Christian in a shootout between two of the state's most prolific offenses in the TAPPS Division IV regional finals. The win sends the Cardinals to a state semifinal matchup next week against The Woodlands Christian, a 33-28 winner Friday over Muenster Sacred Heart.
The Cardinals and Swordsmen combined for 135 points and more than 1,200 yards of offense, but it was 46 second-half points by St. Paul which spelled the difference.
St. Paul responded to an opening 32-yard TD by GCA's Hayden Burnett to score twice in the first quarter for a 14-7 lead. Kresta scored on a 14-yard run and then Brett Hodges added a 1-yard run at the 2:10 mark to put the Cards out front.
The Swordsmen claimed a 28-26 halftime advantage with three second-quarter scores. Burnett hit Cody King with TD passes of 60 and 19 yards before Kresta responded with a 22-yard TD toss to Hybner, but a King interception return for a score extended the GCA lead. Martin Kennedy struck for a 46-yard TD run late in the half to put the Cardinals within two points at intermission.
The third quarter was a track meet as the teams combined for seven touchdowns.
Adam Hollenbach put the Cardinals back out front with a 49-yard scoring jaunt just 11 seconds into the half, and Brett Hodges followed moments later with a 4-yard score. Following a GCA turnover, the Cardinals marched in again, this time with Justin Natal running it in from five yards out.
King and Burnett hooked up on a 27-yard TD pass and then Burnett tossed a 21-yard score to Zev Bailey before Hodges got St. Paul's fourth score of the quarter on a 35-yard jaunt.
Two more Hodges TDs in the fourth quarter, runs of 13 and 7 yards sandwiched around a 6-yard run by Burnett, gave the Cardinals a 65-56 lead.
Burnett scored on a 10-yard dash with 4:46 left in the game before Kresta's 12-yard score put things out of reach for St. Paul.
Three St. Paul backs -- Kresta, Hodges and Kennedy -- gained more than 100 yards on the ground as the Cardinals piled up 387 yards on 51 carries. Kresta hit 11 of 18 passes for 232 yards. Burnett was a one-man wrecking crew for GCA, rushing 28 times for 265 yards and completing 18 of 42 passes for 434 but was intercepted by the Cardinals four times.
GAME STATISTICS:
statistics source: http://www.gonzalescannon.com/node/7379TEAM STATISTICS: St. Paul Garland First Downs 25 26 Rushes-Yards 51-387 30-238 Passing Yards 232 434 Passes 11-18-2 18-36-4 Punts 1-45 0 Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-2 Penalties-yards 7-64 8-75 SCORING SUMMARY: 1 2 3 4 -- Final Garland Christian 7 21 20 15 -- 63 St. Paul 14 12 27 19 -- 72 SCORING DETAILS: First Quarter GC -- Hayden Burnett 32 yd run (Burnett kick) SP -- Dakota Kresta 14 run (Cole Hybner kick) SP -- Brett Hodges 1 run (Hybner kick) Second Quarter GC -- Cody King 60 pass from Burnett (Burnett kick) GC -- King 19 pass from Burnett, (Burnett kick) SP -- Hybner 22 pass from Kresta (pass failed) GC -- Cody King 20 interception return, (Burnett kick) SP -- Martin Kennedy 46 run, (run failed) Third Quarter SP -- Adam Hollenbach 49 run, (Hybner kick) SP -- Brett Hodges 4 run, (run failed) SP -- Justin Natal 5 run, (Hybner kick) GC -- Burnett to King 27 pass, (Burnett kick) GC -- Burnet pass Zev Bailey 21 pass, (pass failed) SP -- Hodges 35 run, (Hybner kick) GC -- Burnett 2 run, (Burnett kick) Fourth Quarter SP -- Brett Hodges 13 run (kick failed) GC -- Burnett 6 run, (Braxton Terry pass from Burnett) SP -- Hodges, 7 run, (kick failed) GC -- Burnett 10 run, (Burnett kick) SP -- Dakota Kresta, 12 run, (Hybner kick) INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS: Rushing St. Paul, Adam Hollenbach 7-79, Justin Natal 2-7, Brett Hodges 17-107, Dakota Kresta 12-100, Martin Kennedy 11-102. GCA, Marcus Ketter 1-13, Hayden Burnett 28-265, Cody King 2-4, Jeremy Smith 1-1, Michael Assels 2-(-8). Passing St. Paul, Dakota Kresta 11-18-2-232. GCA, Hayden Burnett 18-42-4-483, Braxton Berry 0-1-0. Receiving St. Paul, Martin Kennedy 3-73, Adam. Hollenbach 3-105, Cole Hybner 2-34, Justin Natal 2-20. GCA, Marcus Ketter 1-46, Cody King 4-141, Zev Bailey 9-228, Jeremy Smith 1-25, Brazton Bailey 1-25, Michael Assels 2-18.St. Paul Cardinal Football | Shiner Home Page
GO CARDINALS !
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