Nativity took to the road for the first time this year as they battled All-American Football Conference foe Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech in its league opener on an unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon.
A few big pass receptions by Brady Morgan led the Green Wave to a 19-6 victory, their second straight and third win in four outings.
Both teams struggled to move the ball in the first quarter as penalties hurt both squads leading to no score after the first quarter.
The second quarter was much of the same until the last minute when freshman quarterback Dan Lozada connected with senior wideout Brady Morgan for a 79-yard touchdown, giving the Green Wave (3-3, 1-0 AAFC) a 6-0 lead entering intermission.
The second half started with a bang as Nativity dug deep into its playbook. A 53-yard double reverse flea flicker touchdown pass from senior tight end Jeremy Hoban to Morgan made the score 13-0 in favor of the Green Wave.
That score held up throughout the third quarter as Nativity’s defense stood tall for much of the afternoon.
“Bend don’t break,” Nativity head coach Tony Klazas said.
Although that D allowed junior tailback Chris Zanolini to carry the ball 24 times for 104 yards and a score, the stats tell only part of the story. The Green Wave’s defense only allowed six points on the afternoon.
The Rams put their first points on the board early in the fourth quarter with a 3-yard Zanolini touchdown run to pull the Rams (0-6, 0-2) within 13-6.
Nativity added its final score late in the fourth. On a third-and-14, Lozada connected with his favorite target, Morgan, yet again for a 39-yard touchdown and an insurmountable 19-6 lead.
Morgan finished his day with four receptions for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Lozada 6-of-13 passes, throwing for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
“The balls were thrown great,” Morgan said.
The aerial assault carried the Green Wave past the Rams, but the running game struggled. Klazas spoke about that after the game saying, “We’ve got to be able to run the ball and offensively we need to be better.”
The Green Wave return to Saint Clair next week as they battle with fellow AAFC member Carson Long (1-5) on Friday evening on Homecoming night.
