Mustangs fall short at Regis Jesuit

AURORA – It was yet another memorable entry into the Mullen-Regis Jesuit series that has delighted parochial-school followers for decades and generations.

Trouble was, the Mustangs and their followers left a packed Lou Kellogg Stadium on Friday night a little hollow, a little dissatisfied and, well, a little disappointed in a 30-21 nonleague loss that was closer than a nine-point game.

The host Raiders tacked on a clinching touchdown with 1:15 to play to put it out of reach for the Mustangs, who dropped their second consecutive game and dipped to 2-2. Regis Jesuit is 4-0.

In all, Mullen couldn’t protect a 21-14 halftime lead, squandered a series of opportunities, was hurt by key penalties and dropped passes, and didn’t get it done, especially late.

And Mustangs head coach Stanley Richardson knew it.

“We didn’t finish, we didn’t finish,” he said. “So one of the things we’ve been preaching since OTAs, since the summer, was we have to learn how to finish. Alignment, assignment, execution and finish. We have a lot of young guys, but no excuses. We have five games like this and we have to finish.”

Really, Richardson added, “we let (the Raiders) off the hook. We had opportunities to finish the game and win it, and we didn’t get it done.”

Mullen opened with trouble against Regis Jesuit talented sophomore quarterback Nicco Marchiol, who completed four passes on his team’s first possession that led to a 7-0 lead. But on Mullen’s next offensive snap, senior Damien Cearns added another long touchdown run to his early season performance, a 75-yarder that led to a tie at 7.

It was indicative of the punches the two rivals traded for much of the game. Marchiol led another scoring drive early in the second quarter only to have Mullen answer with a 5-yard TD toss from Kyle Remington to Michael Brouillette two series later.

After a three-and-out for Regis Jesuit against a Mullen defense led by Aidan Keanaaina, the Mustangs took their first lead on a great-catch-and-run by Ben Marcoux across the middle, a 55-yarder 47 seconds before halftime.

The Raiders got within one at 21-20 on the opening possession of the third quarter and here’s where the Mustangs’ woes began. They missed a 51-yard field-goal attempt; two personal-foul penalties sustained a Raiders drive that led to a key 30-yard field goal; the Mustangs had consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter at midfield and the Raiders 46-yard line that ended in pedestrian three-and-outs; and an unlikely fumble by the ordinarily sure-handed Cearns – at the Mullen 21 with 3:04 to play -- set up the final Regis Jesuit touchdown.

Plus, several dropped passes and problems handling the Raiders defense up front didn’t help.

“The defense did a great job and the guys played hard in all facets of the game,” Richardson said. “We played hard, but we just have to get better offensively. We dropped at least five balls and we can’t have that. We’ve got some work to do.”

Said Keanaaina: “No, we did not finish. There were some plays on both sides. Offensively, we could not move the ball and score on key plays. Defensively, we got penalties when we didn’t need them. We gave them that field goal … it happens.

“We kept fighting, kept giving ourselves opportunities, but we just couldn’t finish.”

Richardson also noted the Mullen defense was able to contain Marchiol for two quarters, “before he kind of figured out what was going.”

Week 5, which will wrap up the nonleague season for the Mustangs, will have a road game against always good Grandview in Aurora on Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m., at Legacy Stadium.

“We can still be a good team,” Richardson said.

 

Reis Jesuit – Ty Maguire 5 pass from Nicco Marchiol (Jordi De la Torre kick) 7:45.

Mullen – Damien Cearns 75 run (Wilson Yee kick), 7:26.

Regis Jesuit – Clay Nanke 15 pass from Nicco Marchiol (De la Torre kick), 9:09.

Mullen – Michael Brouillette 5 pass from Kyle Remington (Yee kick), 3:40.

Mullen – Ben Marcoux 55 pass from Remington (Yee kick), 0:47.

Regis Jesuit – Marchiol 24 run (kick failed), 9:15.

Regis Jesuit – FG De la Torre 30, 11:01.

Regis Jesuit – Marchiol 2 run (De la Torre kick), 1:15.