CINCINNATI, Ohio – Down seven points at halftime, #6 St. Xavier scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to rally past visiting St. Ignatius, 28-21, on Friday night. The Bombers improved to 5-4 with their second consecutive victory after overcoming a wild second quarter that saw momentum swing dramatically before intermission.
St. Xavier struck first when Aidan Newdigate scored on a two-yard touchdown run with 7:11 remaining in the opening quarter. St. Ignatius answered with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Mikin to Trey Haddad to tie the game at 7-7.
Special teams helped the Bombers regain the lead in the second quarter when Charlie Googins recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown, putting St. Xavier ahead 14-7 with 5:14 remaining before halftime.
The Wildcats responded with two touchdowns in a span of just 12 seconds late in the half. Dane Donovan scored on a six-yard run with 45 seconds remaining, and CJ McLean followed with a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown at the 33-second mark. The sudden turnaround sent St. Ignatius into the locker room leading 21-14.
St. Xavier regrouped in the second half behind its running game and defense. Aiden Graham tied the contest on a 20-yard touchdown run with 2:41 remaining in the third quarter.
Newdigate then delivered the decisive score on a seven-yard touchdown run with 7:07 left in the fourth quarter. Owen Davidson converted all four extra-point attempts as the Bombers completed the comeback.
Graham led St. Xavier offensively with 92 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Newdigate added 19 rushing yards and two touchdowns on five attempts.
Quarterback Thomas George completed 13-of-18 passes for 126 yards. Ethan Cole led the Bombers with 53 receiving yards on two catches, while Logan Von Holle added four receptions for 33 yards.
The St. Xavier defense rose to the occasion after halftime, holding St. Ignatius scoreless over the final two quarters. Graham Uran finished with a team-high 15 tackles, Marley Henry added 14 and Googins recorded 10 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, to go along with his special teams touchdown. Alex Walker also came away with an interception.
Mikin completed 12-of-22 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown for St. Ignatius (4-5). Haddad led the Wildcats with 70 receiving yards and a touchdown on two receptions. Tyler McMillon paced the ground attack with 52 yards on 11 carries, while Donovan added 48 yards and a score.
St. Ignatius outgained St. Xavier 284-242 in total offense and both teams recorded 17 first downs. However, the Bombers converted five of their 10 third-down opportunities and held the Wildcats to just 4-of-15 on third down.
St. Xavier (5-4) will look to carry its late-season momentum into the regular-season finale and the upcoming Ohio Division I playoffs.
SCORING BY QUARTERS
St. Ignatius: 7-14-0-0-21
St. Xavier: 7-7-7-7-28
SCORING PLAYS
STX: Aidan Newdigate 2-yard run (Owen Davidson kick)
SI: Trey Haddad 16-yard pass from Jacob Mikin (Griffin Roberts kick)
STX: Charlie Googins blocked punt recovery for touchdown (Davidson kick)
SI: Dane Donovan 6-yard run (Roberts kick)
SI: CJ McLean 32-yard interception return (Roberts kick)
STX: Aiden Graham 20-yard run (Davidson kick)
STX: Aidan Newdigate 7-yard run (Davidson kick)
RECORDS: St. Xavier (5-4); St. Ignatius (4-5)
UP NEXT: St. Xavier vs. The St. James Performance Academy (October 23, 7 p.m.); St. Ignatius vs. Football North-Clarkson (October 23, 7 p.m.).
Get the complete scores from all of this week’s action on the Underground Sports Shop Scoreboard at TriStateFootball.com/scores.
*Stay updated on high school football updates by following @TSFootball on X.
+++
LOCAL COVERAGE. REAL IMPACT.
For more than 20 years, TriStateFootball has been telling the stories of high school football across our region. If TSF is part of your Friday nights, consider supporting the people behind the coverage.
TIP TSF: TriStateFootball.com/tip
