NEW HOPE – For a quarter Friday night, New Hope looked ready to go toe to toe with one of Louisiana’s best. Jacob Jefferson and the Trojan offense set the early tone, but a handful of big plays and a couple of costly special teams mistakes gave Brother Martin all the momentum it needed in a 38-26 win.
New Hope wasted no time making a statement. After a strong kickoff return gave them good field position, Jefferson carried the drive on his back. Even after a holding call threatened to stall the series, he churned out yards on three straight runs and barreled into the end zone for the game’s first score. The extra point was missed, but the Trojans held a 6-0 lead – and plenty of confidence – with 8:47 left in the opening quarter.
Brother Martin answered right away when quarterback Hudson Fields launched a 53-yard touchdown to star wideout Easton Royal down the sideline to put his team ahead 7-6. The momentum swing grew sharper when New Hope’s next possession ended in a quick three-and-out and the punt was muffed and recovered by the Crusaders at the Trojan 29. One snap later, Fields found Royal again for a 29-yard touchdown to stretch the lead to 14-6.
New Hope stayed composed and put together a response. Quarterback Tyrekus Brooks mixed in short throws and leaned on Jefferson’s steady running to push downfield. A pass interference penalty set the Trojans up at the 7-yard line, and Brooks kept it himself for a touchdown. Another missed extra point left New Hope trailing 14-12 midway through the second quarter.
Brother Martin was quick to snatch the momentum back. After its defense forced a turnover on downs, the Crusaders struck again with a 47-yard touchdown pass to Rowan Lipscomb, making it 21-12 with just over four minutes left in the half. The Trojans forced a fumble at the Crusaders’ three-yard line with 43 seconds remaining, but a quick three-and-out gave Brother Martin one more shot. The Crusaders moved back into range and knocked through a 26-yard field goal with five seconds left to carry a 24-12 lead into the locker room.
The third quarter’s defining moment came when Brother Martin lined up for what looked like a routine field goal. The snap was fumbled, but Maximo Barrios scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 14 yards for a touchdown. Instead of three points, the Crusaders stole seven and pushed the margin to 31-12 with four minutes left in the quarter.
Afterward, Trojans head coach Aaron Glenn pointed to those special teams lapses as a turning point.
“We got to do better there. There are three phases to a game: offense, defense, and kicking. It’s a learning opportunity, and we get a chance to do better next week,” Glenn said.
Still, the Trojans refused to quit. Jefferson broke through five tacklers on a 12-yard burst to midfield, and New Hope converted two fourth downs to keep the drive alive. On fourth-and-9 early in the fourth quarter, Brooks found Jerimiah James for a touchdown, and for the first time all night the extra point was good. That cut the deficit to 31-19 with 9:45 to play and gave New Hope a glimmer of life.
It lasted only moments. Facing third-and-17 on the next series, Fields dropped back and found Rex LeBlanc open for an 82-yard touchdown that silenced the comeback hopes and made it 38-19 with 8:33 left.
New Hope mounted one more scoring drive as Brooks ripped off a 15-yard keeper and Jefferson kept the chains moving. The Trojans punched it in to cut the score to 38-26 with just over five minutes left, but the Crusaders ran the clock down on their way to the New Hope 19 and knelt to end the game.
For the Trojans, the night came down to missed chances. Two failed extra points, a muffed punt that set up an easy score and the fluke touchdown off a botched field goal proved too much to overcome. Jefferson’s tough running and Brooks’ composure kept New Hope in striking distance, but Brother Martin’s explosive plays were the difference.
Glenn talked about how the team has to quickly turn the page with Houston coming to town next week.
“We are going to get to work on Monday. There is a lot to learn from and we have to be a better football team than we were tonight,” Glenn said.
Brother Martin 38, New Hope 26
Brother Martin (4-0) 14 10 7 7 — 38
New Hope (1-2) 6 6 0 14 — 26
First Quarter
NH — Jefferson 7-yard run (PAT missed)
BM — Royal 53-yard pass from Fields (kick good)
BM — Royal 29-yard pass from Fields (kick good)
Second Quarter
NH — Brooks 7-yard run (PAT missed)
BM — Lipscomb 47-yard pass from Fields (kick good)
BM — Barrios 26-yard field goal
Third Quarter
BM — Barrios 14-yard run on fumbled field-goal snap (kick good)
Fourth Quarter
NH — James 25-yard pass from Brooks (kick good)
BM — LeBlanc 82-yard pass from Fields (kick good)
NH — Jefferson 1-yard run (kick good)
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