FW Nolan Catholic breezes past SA St. Anthony in TAPPS opener

Fort Worth Nolan Catholic’s quest to earn a third consecutive state championship got off to a rolling start as the Vikings cruised to a 57-7 win over San Antonio St. Anthony in the TAPPS Division I bi-district round.

The Vikings took advantage of an interception on the Yellow Jackets’ first drive as Jacob Walden connected with Piece Braden for a 33-yard touchdown pass. David Authier punched in Nolan’s second score to complete a nine-play drive from the Vikings’ 5-yard line.

St. Anthony needed just two plays to answer. Justin Mayer took a Michael Mayer pass 80 yards on the first play of the second quarter to bring the Yellow Jackets within a score, but that would be the last St. Anthony saw of the end zone.

Luke Alves helped the Vikings push their lead back to 14 points, and then Authier stole the show to run out the half by completing back-to-back drives with rushing scores. Authier finished with 114 yards in the first half, and Alves rushed for 143.

The Nolan Catholic defense helped cement the contest, allowing just one Yellow Jackets first down in the second half. The Vikings picked up two interceptions and three turnovers overall in the second half and closed with a safety late in the contest.

Jacob Hill picked off a Michael Mayer pass at the 35-yard line, breaking through three attempted tackles on the way to a score. Following back-to-back field goals by Grant Muehlstein from 31 and 15 yards, Jonathon King picked up a fumble in the backfield and returned it for a touchdown.

Nolan had 443 yards of offense in the playoff opener with 382 coming on the ground.

The Vikings await their second-round opponent, either Dallas Bishop Lynch or Houston St. Thomas, who play today.

This story was originally published November 15, 2013 at 12:19 PM.