Nolan Catholic proves to be the best in Fort Worth with win vs. city rival All Saints
For another year, Nolan Catholic has Fort Worth bragging rights over its rival All Saints.
Star 2022 prospect Emeka Megwa accounted for four touchdowns, three rushing, and the Vikings pulled away late to beat the Saints, 41-27, Friday night at Nolan’s Doskocil Stadium.
Megwa is a 4-star running back, ranked as the No. 12 athlete in the country by 247Sports and drawing interest from the top programs. He finished with 87 yards rushing on 17 carries and added a 25-yard touchdown catch.
“We came in and All Saints has Tommy [Brockermeyer], their quarterback, Montaye [Dawson] and no on really picked us to win, but we came out here with the W,” Megwa said.
The Vikings (3-0, 3-0 in TAPPS District 1 Division 1) have beaten the Saints each of the past three seasons.
“Super proud of our guys. They keep overcoming things that are thrown at them and they fought hard, and that’s all you can ask for as a coach,” Nolan coach David Beaudin said.
They could do no wrong while pitching a perfect first quarter.
Nolan forced three first-quarter punts and scored three touchdowns to grab a 21-0 lead after the opening 12 minutes. Jimmy Taylor (Cornell commit) connected with Tre Parks-Vinson on a 59-yard pass and Taylor punched it in on the next play from the 2 with 9:53 left in the period.
The Vikings then capped off a 9-play, 59-yard drive with a Taylor 25-yard TD pass to Megwa, who is up to 34 scholarship offers, with under five minutes to go. Megwa scored on a 4-yard run as time expired in the first quarter to push Nolan to a three-touchdown advantage.
“Things went well. The coaches had a good plan and it showed early on,” Beaudin said.
But miscues hurt the Vikings in the second quarter and allowed All Saints to get back into the game.
The Saints (1-0, 0-1) punted on a fourth-and-16 from their own 12, but the ball hit a Nolan player and the Saints recovered at the Nolan 46. Hampton Fay (Michigan State) hit Peyton Kramer on the next play for 36 yards and found Ben Patterson on a 15-yard TD to make it 21-7 with 8:42 to go in the half.
Both teams traded punts, but after Nolan got the ball back, its drive was halted when Kramer intercepted a pass attempt at the Saints’ 25. Paul Breedlove (Air Force) was wide open on a 39-yard pass and two plays later Brant Ahlfinger scored on a 17-yard run that made it a one-score game with two minutes until intermission.
The Saints were playing their first game since Sept. 25 after two weeks of quarantine due to a positive COVID-19 case. They beat Azle, 70-50. Ahlfinger, who rushed for 193 yards against the Hornets, carried most of the load for All Saints.
Dawson (SMU), who rushed for 359 yards against Azle and was named a Built Ford Tough Player of the Week, didn’t return after two drives. He rushed three times for nine yards.
The Saints had the chance to score one more time before the break when Nolan couldn’t get the punt off at its own 29 and 90 seconds on the clock. All Saints had a first-and-goal at the 10, but a holding penalty, a 9-yard sack and a 15-yard personal foul pushed it to a third-and-goal at the 39.
Nolan extended its lead to 27-14 on Megwa’s 4-yard scamper with 7:57 left in the third.
All Saints cut it to 27-20 on Fay’s 4-yard pass to Patterson five minutes later.
Megwa added his third rushing score, also from the 4 to make it 34-20 on the first play of the final frame. The Saints fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and Nolan scored six plays later on a 3-yard run by Sergio Snider.
“All year long, they’ve been put into tough situations and they keep on responding,” Beaudin said. “I’m fired up. It’s always good to get that win.”
Fay and Kramer connected on a 14-yard TD late in the fourth.
Nolan out-gained All Saints 393-315 in total yardage. The Vikings rushed for 210 yards on 38 attempts. Taylor complete 11 of 24 passes for 183 yards and a TD, and added 26 yards rushing. Snider carried nine times for 40 yards and a score, and Skyler Patterson had five grabs for 43 yards. Jackson Reed added an interception for Nolan in the second half.
Fay completed 13 of 28 passes for 197 yards and three TDs. Ben Patterson had six catches for 51 yards and two scores, and Ahlfinger rushed for 64 yards and a TD on 16 carries.
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 9:59 PM.
