The Saint Patrick Shamrocks showed what they were made of with a thrilling 26-25 come from behind win over Nazareth Academy on October 14. Coming into the game with a record of 1-6 and finding themselves down 19-7 early in the third quarter, it would have been easy for the Shamrocks to pack it in and accept another loss. Instead, Saint Patrick dug deep and showed what “Shamrock Pride” is all about, rallying for touchdowns on their last three possessions and a win on “Senior Night.”

A 32-yard punt return by the Roadrunners’ Rodney Payton set them up at the Saint Patrick 27, and they cashed in on a six-play drive to open the scoring. Quarterback, Phillip Kaiser, carried the ball in from the five yard line, but the Roadrunners missed the extra point, which would come back to haunt them as they led 6-0 with 5:29 left to play in the first quarter.

The Shamrocks answered right back when Kyle Dietz hit tight end Anthony Odarczenko for a 55-yard touchdown pass. Odarczenko caught the ball 10 yards downfield and took off down the left sideline, running over the only Roadrunner defender between him and the end zone. Chris Gasiorek tacked on the extra point, and Saint Patrick led 7-6.

Nazareth took the lead back early in the second quarter, taking advantage of great field position again, as Payton capped a 38-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown run. The Roadrunners attempted to pass for the two-point conversion, but Kaiser overshot Payton. The Roadrunners led 12-7, and that was the score at halftime.

The Shamrocks took the opening kickoff of the second half, and their offense came to life, driving 19 yards in five plays before Dietz was sacked and lost a fumble at the Roadrunner 48. Two plays later, Payton broke off a 49-yard touchdown run right up the middle of the field. Nazareth kicked the extra point for a 19-7 lead. The Shamrock offense picked up right where they left off, punishing the Roadrunners with the thunder and lightning combination of fullback Ryan Hohenadel and tailback Brian Ruiz. The Shamrock drive stalled with three straight incomplete passes at the Roadrunner 22. Facing fourth and 10 from the 22, Dietz scrambled left, assisted by a crunching block by Justin Pagan, and found Steve Larsen in the end zone for a touchdown. Gasiorek’s kick made it 19-14 in favor of the Roadrunners.

Nazareth drove into Shamrock territory on their next possession, but Larsen came up with another big play, forcing a fumble that Waleed Hamdan recovered at the Shamrock 31.

The Shamrocks stuck with what was working, using Hohenadel and Ruiz on the ground, while Dietz kept the drive alive with two big third down completions. Dietz connected on a 28-yard fade route to Wally Labuz on third and 10, and then completed a 12-yard screen to Ruiz on third and five. Ruiz finished off the drive with a 13-yard run over the right side, capping a 10-play, 69-yard drive. Dietz attempted to throw for the two-point conversion, but his pass fell incomplete. The Shamrocks had a 20-19 lead

Nazareth then drove 70 yards in seven plays, with Kaiser hitting David Murphy for a 34-yard touchdown. Kaiser’s two-point pass failed, and the Roadrunners were ahead 25-20 with 5:33 remaining in the game.

Jack McKenna returned the kickoff to the Shamrock 34, and they embarked on their biggest drive of the season. Dietz hit Eric Morris for 29 yards on the first play, and the Shamrocks were on their way. Two Ruiz rushes, and a dropped pass left the Shamrocks facing fourth and 10 at the Roadrunner 37. On a gutsy call, they gave the ball to Ruiz on a draw play, and he picked up the first down with a 14-yard run. Two plays later, Dietz hit Labuz for a 13-yard gain, giving the Shamrocks first and goal at the Roadrunner 10. Ruiz carried three times, gaining three, five, and one, leaving the ball at the one-yard line on fourth down. On fourth and goal from the one, Dietz handed the ball to Hohenadel, who crashed into the left side of the offensive line, after sorting through bodies for several second, the official finally signaled touchdown. The Shamrocks were ahead 26-25 with 1:34 left to play. Dietz tried to go around right end for the two-point conversion, but was stopped.

Nazareth got the ball at their own 40, and completed one pass, but faced fourth and four at their own 46 with 52 seconds remaining. Kaiser found Payton open over the middle, but his pass bounced off of Payton’s hands, giving the Shamrocks the victory.

Brian Ruiz rushed for 117 yards on 28 carries, and Hohenadel added 48 yards on nine carries. Dietz had his best game of the season, completing 11 of 21 passes for 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Labuz led the receivers with three catches for 44 yards as eight different receivers caught passes. The Shamrocks made plays when they really needed to, as they were three for three on fourth down conversions.

Defensively, Bobby Polli and David Giese led the way for the Shamrocks with seven tackles each. George Vitzileos, Marty LaBelle and Nick Madsen all recorded at least five tackles as well. The Shamrock defense forced three Roadrunner turnovers as Jack McKenna and Joe Daly both picked off passes.