Chris Cruz was the man on the spot after Mike Keir, lacking feeling in his throwing fingers, could not go under center for Roman Catholic in Saturday's Catholic League Class AAAA semifinal against St. Joseph's Prep.
How did Cruz handle the pressure? Incredibly well.
Cruz, who last saw significant time at quarterback more than a year ago, threw for 231 yards and five touchdowns as the Cahillites posted 38 unanswered points and stormed past the defenseless Hawks, 45-17, at William Tennent.
"I wanted to go out and get the win, but I didn't expect to play as well as I did," said Cruz, a 6-foot, 185-pound junior. "I guess I exceeded expectations. To be honest, I completely shocked myself."
Roman coach Joe McCourt said Keir's playing status was a game-time decision. Cruz had practiced most of the week with the first-team offense.
"I told Chris, 'We don't need you to win the game, but we need you to manage it,' " McCourt said. "Instead, he went out and took over the game."
Trying for their first league title since 2007, the Cahillites will face three-time defending champ La Salle in the league final at 7 p.m. Friday at Northeast.
Cruz, also an outside linebacker, connected on 8 of 14 passes. In the third quarter, he ran for a 62-yard score, neatly breaking a tackle near midfield, to give Roman a 31-17 advantage.
"I think I have a pretty good arm, but I'm probably a bigger running threat," said the 17-year-old, who carried 13 times for 90 yards.
The turning point came just before halftime, with the Hawks ahead by 17-7 and fresh off a successful goal-line stand.
Roman tackle Tyrone Brown surged into the backfield and corralled tailback Joe Lavalle in the end zone for a safety. Six plays later, Cruz hit Taishan Tucker across the middle for a 24-yard TD, and followed it, with a defender draped on him, with a 2-point conversion toss to Marcus Kelly.
"You always play harder when you're losing," Brown said. "You're motivated to make a comeback and get the win. It's go hard or go home."
Cruz and Tucker (five catches for 147 yards) combined for a third score, a 17-yarder, to make it 24-17. Athletic wideout William Fuller was on the receiving end of Cruz's fourth and fifth TD passes.
Roman, reversing a 22-point loss to the Prep two weeks ago, totaled 482 yards on offense. Kelly carried 22 times for 126 yards.
A defense that consistently pressured Prep QB Skyler Mornhinweg (15-for-32 passing, 270 yards) was anchored by Brown, end Jack Schanz, and linebackers Kenneth English (11/2 sacks, two hurries) and Brett Pellicciotti.
Roman Catholic 7 10 21 7 – 45
St. Joseph's Prep 0 17 0 0 – 17
RC: Tucker 53 pass from Cruz (Isaac kick)
SJP: Lavalle 1 run (Battin kick)
SJP: Medes 43 pass from Mornhinweg (Battin kick)
SJP: FG Battin 38
RC: Safety
RC: Tucker 24 pass from Cruz (M. Kelly pass from Cruz)
RC: Tucker 17 pass from Cruz (Isaac kick)
RC: Cruz 62 run (Isaac kick)
RC: Fuller 18 pass from Cruz (Isaac kick)
RC: Fuller 53 pass from Cruz (Isaac kick)
Contact staff writer Rick O'Brien at 610-313-8019, robrien@phillynews.com, or @ozoneinq on Twitter. Read his blog, "The O'Zone," at www.philly.com/ozone.
