Gunnell, defense pack a potent 1-2 punch
The Chronicle's top two private-school teams brought plenty of star power into Friday night’s non-conference matchup at Simmons Field.
Top-ranked St. Pius X and No. 2 Episcopal have as many as 10 players ranked by national recruiting services, with several already committed to play at the next level.
And quarterback Grant Gunnell, an Arizona commitment, was front and center, passing for three touchdowns and rushing for two more as he joined with an opportunistic Panthers defense that produced four first-half turnovers in a 42-0 victory over the Knights.
“When the whole team comes together and everything clicks like that, there’s nothing better,” St. Pius X senior defensive end Lucas Robertson said. “It’s all the extra work we did in practice leading up to that. That just showed up in the work we did on the field tonight.”
Both defenses made their mark in the first half, due in part to a soggy field. Episcopal made a fourth-down stop near its end zone in the first quarter and forced consecutive punts in the second quarter.
But Gunnell found Kaleb Ducros for a 45-yard touchdown strike to break the scoreless tie with 2 minutes, 56 seconds left in the first quarter.
While an interception by the Panthers’ Lucas Robertson did not result in points, it helped pin the Knights at their 1-yard line after a punt. A subsequent fumbled handoff was recovered in the end zone by Jagger Pagano to give St. Pius X a 14-0 lead.
Episcopal fumbled again on its next possession after reaching Panthers territory. Ja’kouvis Griffin recovered, and big gains by Tate Jernigan and Chase Lane set up Boobie Curry’s 15-yard touchdown catch from Gunnell.
Gunnell followed another Knights fumble with a 14-yard touchdown run with 2:48 left in the half.
Episcopal drove to the St. Pius X 3 but could not score and went to the locker room trailing 28-0.
Gunnell and Bruno Forestieri rushed for second-half touchdowns for the Panthers, whose defense continued to stuff Episcopal and keep the Knights off the scoreboard.
“It was outstanding,” senior defensive tackle Thommy Good said. “Our team was going 11-3, 11 men to the football, 3 and out. We gave it our all every play.”
St. Pius X (3-0) has outscored opponents 162-42, including victories over Beaumont United and La Marque. The Panthers continue non-district play Sept. 21 with a home against Manor and then travel to Plano for a TAPPS state finals rematch with Prestonwood Christian on Sept. 28.
Episcopal entered the game as one of the few 3-0 teams in the state after opening the season a week early with a victory over a team in North Carolina. The Knights followed with a 34-28 win over Navasota and a 42-14 victory over Sam Rayburn. They begin SPC play Sept. 21 at Episcopal School of Dallas.