The Spire

Ben Kuchipudi ’25

Sports Editor

After a heartbreaking loss to Lafayette on Family Weekend, the Crusaders had to get back on track if they wanted to win their fifth consecutive Patriot League championship. Their next game would be against Fordham in the annual Ram-Crusader cup. The Crusaders defeated the Rams in a thriller last season at Fitton Field, but this game would prove to be a bigger challenge, not only because they would be playing in the Bronx, but also because they would be without star quarterback Matthew Sluka, who was in uniform, but only played two snaps. This meant that  junior backup quarterback, Joe Pesansky, would get the nod to start, and the Crusaders would have to keep up with Fordham’s elite offense without their best player. Fortunately for Holy Cross, they showed that they aren’t just a one-man crew, and they are still a force no matter who is  under center.

Just like last season, the teams could not stop each other on offense. Holy Cross led, 14-13 after one due to a missed extra point by Fordham, which would come back to bite them at the end. Pesansky threw a 41-yard bomb to Jalen Coker for Pesansky’s first score of the season, and Jordan Fuller continued his scoring onslaught with a rushing touchdown. In the second, the shootout continued with five touchdowns combined. Fuller punched it in again from five yards out, and Byron Shipman scored on a fourth and goal that gave the Crusaders the lead. However, a long touchdown run by Rams’ tailback Julius Loughridge and two bombs from quarterback CJ Montes would have the Crusaders down six at half. 

You would have thought both teams could go for 70 points by the end of this game, but the second half was more of a defensive battle. Pesansky found Tyler Purdy for a 34-yard touchdown to give Holy Cross the lead again, but once again, Fordham answered, courtesy of Montes to Mekhi Felton. Fordham led 41-35 with seven minutes left in the third, but the game was a stalemate until the 6:40 mark of the fourth quarter. The Crusaders were faced with a third and goal at the 14-yard line, and Bob Chesney made the sneaky call to run the ball with Purdy; he scored to put Holy Cross back on top. Once again, however, the Crusaders had to do something they haven’t done for most of the game: stop Fordham on offense. The Rams looked like they would score again, but senior cornerback Matt Duchemin made the play of his collegiate career, picking off CJ Montes and taking it back 55 yards to the house. This was Montes’ first pick of the season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for Holy Cross. 

Now up eight with five minutes remaining, they had to stop Fordham from scoring and getting a two-point conversion due to the missed extra point in the first. Julius Loughridge ripped the Crusaders on the ground, and they found themselves on the goal line with just under a minute remaining. Loughridge punched it for his third touchdown of the day, and all they had to do was convert the two-point conversion and it would be tied. Holy Cross was having none of that. Fordham ran the ball again, and this time it was sniffed out by all-world linebacker Jacob Dobbs. The Crusaders recovered the onside kick and were going back to Worcester with a seventh consecutive Ram-Crusader Cup.

There are a number of reasons why Holy Cross won this game. For one, they were nearly unstoppable on the ground. Fuller and Purdy shredded the Fordham defense and because of that they were also able to spread the ball around. Also, with his two touchdowns today, Fuller is now the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns in Holy Cross history with 38. The defense also came alive at the right time. We knew it would be nearly impossible to neutralize the Rams’ offense, but they made plays when it mattered most. From Dobbs getting timely sacks to Duchemin reading Montes perfectly for a pick six, the defense did their job. The run game and defense were strong, but Holy Cross wouldn’t have won this game without an unbelievable game from Joe Pesansky. After throwing only 18 collegiate passes before this game, Pesansky lit up the Bronx, throwing for 337 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t falter in one of the biggest games of the season, and he was able to lead the Crusaders to victory. Now sitting at 5-3, Holy Cross’ playoff hopes are very much alive once again, and they need to ride this momentum for the rest of the season.

Featured Image Courtesy of Holy Cross Athletics