Defense carries Buford

the lead blocker, emerged from the pack for a 39yard touchdown run with 9:10 remaining.

“We couldn’t hit the one play we needed and they did,” said St. Pius coach Paul Standard. “That was the difference in the ball game.”

Wilson, who has committed to Western Kentucky, wound up with 59 yards on 12 carries. St. Pius was led in rushing by Ryan Braswell, who carried 17 times for 88 yards; his only big burst was a 41-yard run.

No. 7-ranked St. Pius (12-3) set the tone for the game on its first possession. The Golden Lions were able to effectively run their option offense, with quarterback Jack Spear taking the lead, and drove to the Wolves 24 yard line in 13 plays. But on fourth-and-1, Braswell was hit head-on by Korrie Rogers for no gain.

Neither team did much until No. 3-ranked Buford got the ball with 1:33 left in the half and raced downfield to set up a 43- yard field goal from Matthew Bonadies.

St. Pius tied it on its first possession of the second half. The Golden Lions used 10 plays to get to the 30, where Thomas O’Leary kicked a 47-yard field goal, his longest of the season, to make it 3-3.

Pius had two possessions in the fourth quarter but couldn’t move it. The first one resulted in a punt and the final ended with a couple of sacks.

“Our defense played with reckless abandon,” Standard said. “Everything Buford got they earned. I think their size was probably the difference at the end.”

It was an emotional game for Buford, which dedicated the season to former assistant coach Ryan Daniel, who died in January while playing a pickup basketball game. There were photos of Daniel taped up in the locker room, with a message extolling the Wolves to “Play for something bigger than yourself.”