In a back and forth offensive shootout, the John Paul II Collegiate Crusaders were outgunned 56-38 by the Carpenter High School Spartans from Meadow Lake at Beaver Lions Stadium Friday evening.
Carpenter's Aaron Varjassy had four touchdowns - one rushing and three receiving - in the win. He also racked up over 400 all-purpose yards on the evening.
The Crusaders were led by the efforts of quarterback Tyler Wasmuth. He threw for over 160 yards with four touchdowns, while rushing for over 80 yards and a touchdown.
After the Spartans took a 1-0 lead, Wasmuth led a touchdown drive beginning at the Crusaders' 35-yard line. With Jacob Stynsky and Jared Schmidt keeping the defence honest by gaining chunks of yards on the ground, Wasmuth finished the drive with a bootleg rush to his left for the touchdown. He connected with Schmidt for the two-point conversion and an 8-1 Crusaders lead.
On the next play from scrimmage, Spartans quarterback Garett Cheze found Varjassy streaking down the left sideline for a 51-yard touchdown bomb. The Crusaders blocked the extra point to hold on to an 8-7 lead.
The Crusaders turned the ball over on downs on their next drive. The Spartans used the big play again to take the lead. Cheze connected with Ryley Pethick downfield for a 71-yard touchdown. Cheze completed a pass to Varjassy on a successful two-point conversion for a 15-8 lead before the end of the first quarter.
John Paul II punted on their next possession, pinning the Spartans back at their own 20-yard line. Varjassy broke off a 65-yard run to get into Crusaders' territory. After a gain of three yards, Cheze found Pethick again with a 36-yard touchdown pass to put the Spartans up 22-8.
Stynsky was the star of the Crusaders' next drive. He rushed for 69 yards on the possession, leading John Paul II to the Spartans' 13-yard line. On third down, Wasmuth found Narcisse Mbwebwe in the end zone for the touchdown. The Crusaders added a two-point conversion to cut the Spartans' lead to six.
The Spartans responded with another big play. Varjassy found space out of the backfield and broke a couple of tackles on a 60-yard touchdown run as the Spartans went up 28-16.
The Crusaders drove down the field on the ensuing drive. After a combination of rushing and passing from Wasmuth, the Crusaders quarterback found a receiver in the end zone. Following a successful two-point conversion, John Paul trailed 28-24.
Carpenter turned to the big play one more time before half time. Cheze and Varjassy teamed up for a 68-yard touchdown pass and a 35-24 lead heading into the break.
In the third quarter, the Spartans' and Crusaders' first drives of the half both led to turnover on downs. Starting their second drive of the half on the Crusaders 35-yard line, the Spartans went on a four-play drive capped off by Cheze's two-yard touchdown run. The extra point was no good, but the Spartans still led 41-24.
As the teams exchanged punts late in the third quarter, the Spartans added a touchdown on their first drive of the fourth. After driving into the red zone, Cheze connected with Varjassy again for a 10-yard touchdown to put the Spartans up 48-24.
The Spartans scored again on a touchdown from Lyndon Benz. The Crusaders tried to cut into the lead as Wasmuth foind Riley Loeppky for a touchdown, but John Paul II did not get any closer than 56-38.
With the loss, the Crusaders fall to 0-2 on the season. They take the field again Thursday night at Beaver Lions Stadium for a showdown with Martensville. Kickoff is 5 p.m.
