It was tough to tell which team was undefeated and which team was winless heading into Friday night’s football game between John Bapst Memorial High School and Hampden Academy.
The visiting Class D Crusaders from John Bapst arrived in Hampden 7-0 on the year, with just one regular season matchup left against the 0-7 Class C Broncos.
And for much of the game, it looked like Hampden Academy was going to get its first win in its final game of the season while delivering a shocking blow to John Bapst ahead of a trip to the playoffs for the Crusaders.
After the home team held up for a goal line stand to keep John Bapst out of the endzone on the first possession, it looked like the Broncos might flip the script and get that win.
Hampden senior quarterback Gavin Monyok connected with junior wide receiver Julian McEwen for the game’s first score, an electric 27-yard pass play with 9:17 left in the second quarter.
Those were the only points in the evenly-matched first half.
The Broncos then stormed out of halftime with a long drive and a touchdown to go up 13-0 after a blocked extra point.
After forcing a fumble on defense, it looked like Hampden was ready to slam the door shut on John Bapst’s undefeated season.
But then the Crusaders, specifically senior Malcolm Butler, came alive.
The running back, safety and kicker provided two touchdowns and two interceptions down the stretch to power John Bapst to an unlikely comeback.
One of those interceptions plus a series of long runs put the Crusaders in a position score and make the game 13-7.
Then the Malcolm Butler show continued after John Bapst forced a Hampden punt. Butler uncorked a 58-yard touchdown run from the backfield, and then lined up for the extra point in his additional role as the team’s kicker.
After having just run over half the field on a single play, Butler knocked the extra point through the uprights to give the Crusaders a 14-13 lead.
Butler stepped up once again, this time on defense with an interception from his spot at safety.
The Crusaders then added another touchdown to seal the come-from-behind win for John Bapst at 20-13.
“I think it was a big confidence booster for us to be able to come back against a team like this,” Butler said after the win. “Thirteen-nothing at one point, we were down on ourselves. But I think now we know that no matter what, we always have a chance to win any game.”
Junior Fullback Thomas Curtis got the other touchdown for John Bapst in the win.
John Bapst head coach Dan O’Connell joked afterward that the game raised his blood pressure, but that he was feeling better after the game.
O’Connell agreed that the Broncos initial goal line stand set the tone for a hard-fought game.
“It certainly changed the momentum. Good for those kids, because Hampden hasn’t had the success they wanted this year. And they came out ready to play tonight,” O’Connell said. “That’s a huge sign that they’re competitors, that they care. Their coaching staff stayed committed. I’m really happy for them that they made it a battle, because they didn’t have to.”
This is the first time during O’Connell’s 23-year tenure at John Bapst that the team is 8-0, he said.
“I like that we’ve had to be in some competitive games, and had some adversity,” he added. “And we’ve had to overcome it.”
The Crusaders escaped Oak Hill Last week 29-28.
“And tonight, hats off to Hampden, they provided that test,” O’Connell said. “And I’m so proud of the kids for answering the bell, not giving up, sticking together and then making it happen.”
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Thomas Curtis scored one of John Bapst’s touchdowns Friday night, and to correct the length of one of Malcolm Butler’s touchdowns.