By Spencer Decker and Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
DUNMORE – Montrose held Holy Cross scoreless for three quarters and took advantage of five turnovers Saturday afternoon while posting its first football victory since 2020 and just its second in more than five years with a 28-14 win at St. Anthony’s Playground.
The Meteors built the lead to 28-0 through three quarters and held on when the Crusaders ran out of time in their fourth-quarter comeback attempt.
Logan Tierney carried 24 times for 136 yards and scored twice in the last nine minutes for winless Holy Cross.
“Tierney is probably the best individual player on a team we will face this season,” first-year Montrose coach Steve Hinds said after his first career win. “We knew we had to contain him. He’s just a good football player.
“I’m extremely pleased with how the defense played and how it reacted.”
Following Tierney’s second touchdown, Montrose recovered an on-side kick with 1:42 left and ran out of the clock to end a 10-game losing streak that included a pair of forfeits last season.
The Meteors came into the game 1-35 in their last 36 games dating back to losing the last six games of the 2017 season. They went 1-1 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season with a win at Holy Cross.
Lance Rought ran for 78 yards and a score, Hudson Aukema accounted for two touchdowns and Gus Brown was part of a touchdown and a pair of two-point conversions for the Meteors. Montrose used three quarterbacks and went 4-for-6 passing.
Holy Cross mishandled a punt after forcing Montrose into negative yardage on the game’s first possession.
The special teams turnover set up the Meteors in Crusaders territory.
Brown’s 26-yard pass to Aukema was followed by Rought’s 12-yard touchdown run on the next play for a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Holy Cross continued to be plagued by fumbles, a problem that has contributed to its winless start.
Montrose took over at the Holy Cross 37 and converted a pair of third downs, leading to Nabywaniec scoring from the 1 on a sweep around right end in the first minute of the second quarter.
The scored remained at 12-0 through halftime.
Montrose turned two more miscues into scores during the third quarter to take the 28-0 lead.
Holy Cross intercepted a pass, but fumbled the ball on the return, giving it right back to Montrose.
The Meteors scored three plays later when Aukema hit Landon Baker for a 38-yard touchdown.
Brown ran for the two-pointer.
Holy Cross fumbled on first down, but maintained possession. Montrose forced a three-and-out and the Crusaders mishandled the punt snap, turning the ball over to the Meteors at the 21.
Montrose scored in three plays with Brown going off the left side for a 5-yard touchdown. Brown then passed to Rought for the two-pointer.
Holy Cross put together a long drive that carried into the fourth quarter, leading to a 4-yard touchdown run by Tierney.
The Crusaders scored again with the help of Gabe Gonzales, a new addition to the team, pulling in a 26-yard pass from Kyle Cortazar to set up a 2-yard Tierney touchdown.
The Meteors are 1-1 in their first season playing an independent schedule. They have four wins since the start of the 2016 season, all coming against the Crusaders.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Spencer Decker, a Holy Cross student, covered the game as part of the NEPA Sports Nation Student Journalism program.
