Eye-catchers from Westminster Christian vs. St. Edmund

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Westminster Christian hadn't won a district championship since 2016 or finished an undefeated regular season since 2010. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Until coach Byron Porter's talented and driven group, led by a big group of senior leaders and key juniors and sophomores, completed those goals Thursday with a 37-22 defeat of District 5-1A rival St. Edmund.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Crusaders built a big lead and, when the Blue Jays began battling back late, had the final key plays on both sides of the ball to extinguish the rally and extend the lead to seal away the victory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at some of the eye-catching standout performances from the contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1616374' first='Kyle' last='Horde'] — 6-2, 220 RB/LB — Westminster Christian (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior was one of the biggest difference-makers and tone-setters on the field with his powerful running, continually driving through and over attempted tackles despite dealing with being a bit banged up. In addition to his toughness and physicality, Horde showed the speed to run away from defenders when space presented itself as on his late fourth-down conversion that turned into a breakaway for his third touchdown of the game. He and <strong>Jack Hunt</strong> provided the majority of the Crusaders' points with a combined four scores. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Damien Thomas — 5-10, 175 DB/WR — Westminster Christian (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another of the Crusaders' headliners, the senior two-way standout snatched an incredible three interceptions — including a battle to take the first from the St. Edmund receiver and then two late to help seal the victory — and also hauled in a nice touchdown reception in stride for the game's lone receiving touchdown. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stephen George — 6-0, 170 QB/ATH — Westminster Christian (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior quarterback ran the offense effectively and provided a perfect complement to Horde's power running with his own combination of effectiveness as a smaller, quicker athlete capable of getting loose to the perimeter with his legs or get the ball on target downfield to Thomas or other fellow seniors <strong>Gavin Frith</strong> and <strong>Omar Guillory</strong> and company. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Matthew Lalonde — 6-3, 205 EDGE — Westminster Christian (2028)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>and <strong>Alex Thomas — 5-10, 210 DL — Westminster Christian (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Crusaders were effective up front defensively to disrupt the high-powered St. Edmund offense, coming up with big stops at and behind the line of scrimmage and keeping the Blue Jays off schedule and off rhythm most of the night. Lalonde and Thomas provided a couple possession-ending highlights with a hard-hitting third-down sack by the sophomore and a fourth-down stop on which the senior was one of the first players to begin wrapping up the tackle. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wyatt DuBois — 5-11, 180 LB/ATH — St. Edmund (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior star was a force on both sides of the ball as he's been all season for the Blue Jays. DuBois scored all 22 of his team's points with three rushing touchdowns — a speedy 25-yarder early, then two through traffic and contact near the goal line — and a pair of two-point conversions. On the other side of the ball, he was also a top defender fitting and tackling in the box, including an early fourth-down stuff behind the line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nathan Zaunbrecher — 6-5, 180 QB — St. Edmund (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thursday wasn't the typically explosive night for the Blue Jays' offense — credit to the Westminster defense — and their big senior quarterback had a night of notable ups and downs, but was able to hit a few particularly nice passes downfield, including a highlight-reel throw-and-catch with junior <strong>Hudson Simon</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>William Brown — 6-0, 165 EDGE/LB — St. Edmund (2028)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore athlete was one of the Blue Jays' younger players who stood out right from his leaping catch of an opening onside kick and was quick and physical on defense throughout the night. Brown is already a playmaker for St. Edmund and a key piece of the core for years to come. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->