WASHINGTON — In 2024 — a year of new beginnings for the Holy Cross football team — one recent tradition remained untouched.
With a 34-0 shutout victory over Georgetown on Saturday, Nov. 23, the Crusaders (6-6, 5-1 Patriot League) clinched a share of an unprecedented sixth straight Patriot League Championship — extending Holy Cross' streak of the most consecutive titles in conference history.
The title is Holy Cross' 12th overall and the first conference championship for first-year head coach
Dan Curran. Despite the loss of more than 30 seniors and several All-America starters — in addition to several injuries to key players — the Crusaders remained resilient through a stretch of heartbreaking losses, winning five of their final seven games of the season and securing a share of the league crown.
On Saturday, Holy Cross jumped out to a 17-0 lead after the first quarter and did not slow down, keeping the Hoyas (5-6, 2-4 Patriot League) off the board. Sophomore running back
Jayden Clerveaux rushed for two touchdowns and 135 yards on the day. Senior receiver
Byron Shipman scored his first touchdown of the season. Sophomore kicker
Daniel Porto connected on a pair of field goals, including a 48-yarder. Junior tight end
Nathan Schillinger had a team-best 34 yards on two receptions.
Senior defensive lineman
Joe Townsend keyed a strong defensive effort for Holy Cross, with a sack and eight-yard pass breakup, while also returning a punt blocked by freshman
Lathan Croley for a touchdown in the first quarter. Senior linebacker
Frankie Monte capped off a stellar campaign with a team-high seven tackles.
Holy Cross' defense held the Hoyas to just 10 first downs and 184 yards of offense. It was Holy Cross' first shutout win since a 57-0 win over Bucknell during the 2022 campaign.
The Crusaders share the 2024 league title with Lehigh, who earned the Patriot League's autobid to the FCS playoffs due to head-to-head record.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- A 29-yard completion on third down from senior quarterback Joe Pesansky to Schillinger extended Holy Cross' opening drive, but Crusaders settled for a field goal to go up 3-0 with 9:26 to go in the first quarter.
- After a three-and-out by the Holy Cross defense, Townsend had a scoop-and-score on the blocked punt by Croley, returning the ball 10 yards to extend the Holy Cross lead to 10-0 with 7:49 left in the first.
- On Holy Cross' next drive, Clerveaux broke free for 17 yards on a third down conversion and then ran 18 yards into the end zone to give Holy Cross a 17-0 edge by the end of the first.
- Porto hit from 48 yards to make it a 20-0 advantage with 12:13 to go in the second quarter. The Hoya defense was able to keep the Crusaders off the board midway through the third quarter; with Holy Cross facing third-and-26, Clerveaux ran for 29 yards to get the first down, and junior running back Sam Slade had back-to-back carries to put the ball at the three-yard line. Clerveaux then scored on a three-yard carry to extend the Holy Cross lead to 27-0 with 7:24 left in the third.
- Sophomore cornerback Cam Jones intercepted a pass and gave Holy Cross the ball back at the Georgetown 18-yard line; Pesansky was able to connect with Shipman to make it a 34-0 game with 8:45 left in the fourth.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Holy Cross held four of its six Patriot League opponents to one touchdown or less this season.
- The Crusaders blocked a punt for the second straight game after not blocking a punt since the 2022 season.
- Clerveaux finished his sophomore campaign with 942 yards and 11 touchdown rushes — the second-most in the conference this season.
- Monte ends his senior season with 119 tackles, the third-most in the Patriot League.
- Mosey ends his junior campaign with 715 receiving yards, ranking fourth in the conference.
FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS
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