HUNTINGDON, Pa. - An offensive explosion pushed Catholic to finish the regular season with a 56-22 victory at Juniata on Saturday. The 56 points are the most Catholic has scored in a game since defeating Guilford on November 4, 2000.
John Whelan,
Zach Williams, and
Anthony Giordano all had career games to pace the offense as they tallied 643 yards and averaged over eight yards per play.
Whelan accounted for six touchdowns, throwing five of them to go with 377 passing yards and a rushing score. Williams rushed for a career-high 182 yards and a touchdown while adding 39 yards to go over 200 yards from scrimmage for the day. Giordano finished with 165 yards and two touchdowns while also catching the longest offensive play in Catholic history for a 97-yard score.
The Cardinals were dominant in the first half, taking a 42-9 lead into the break thanks to a 28-point second quarter. Both teams traded scores right off the jump as Whelan found
Malachi Hansen for a four-yard touchdown on the opening drive. Juniata answered back, but another lengthy drive for the Cardinals resulted in Whelan sneaking it in from a yard out with 15 seconds left in the opening quarter.
The second quarter was all Cardinals with Catholic scoring four touchdowns in the period. It started early as Whelan found Giordano for a 97-yard score, the longest offensive play in program history, surpassing a 96-yard score in 2005. Williams busted into the end zone with 6:27 left in the first half to cap an 85-yard drive to put the Cardinals ahead 28-6.
Four minutes later, Whelan found
Sam Cornacchione for a three-yard score, Whelan's fourth overall touchdown of the day. Juniata kicked a 39-yard field goal with 34 seconds left in the half, potentially sending things to halftime with a score of 35-9, but Whelan hit Hansen for a 75-yard score on the next play to push Catholic's lead to 42-9.
The Cardinals scored twice more, all in the third quarter, including the opening drive as Whelan hit Giordano for a 56-yard score. Late in the third,
Joey Gulbin tossed a touchdown pass to
Andrew Tabor to reach 56 points.
With the victory, Catholic finishes 5-5, marking its fourth straight season with a record of .500 or better.
