CYO Preview: St. Antoninus versus Our Lady of Lourdes

Week 10...the climax to an exciting CYO season, ripe with upsets and surprises, including our #2 team in following the release of Week 9 rankings, the Lourdes Tigers who have risen from mediocrity last season to being the a top tier junior team.  Now, the Tigers can step up to primetime as they take on #1 St. Antoninus, the Crimson Sals.  The Sals come off a victory over previously and currently ranked #3 St. Jude; however, the Sals may be without Alec "Softie" Niehauser and Matthew "Honors12" Murphy as they take the all important ACT Test this Saturday morning.  It looks promising that they will make it in time, but if not it will be the duties of Ethan "Finish" Jackson and Nathan "Sally" Walwroth to lead the scoring against a powerful Lourdes team led by Ian Gunn and Micheal Balzano (pronounced Salzano).  Also, look for the Tigers biggest three point threat, Meat Erhart.  The Tensing Center will be alive as the top two teams meet for what is sure to be one of the most exciting contests of the year.  The Jags stingy man to man defense was well broken by the Bulldogs inside force last week; however, a smaller and more slashing Lourdes team will struggle to find a rhythm from if Gunn and Balzano struggle to drive against Murphy and Niehauser, but if the two renowned Jags fail to show, beware, the Tigers can put points up as well as any team.  It will be interesting to see which will prevail, the Jags stingy defense or the Tigers potent offense.  The key match-up will be Niehauser guarding Gunn.  The Lourdes team runs through Gunn and without a strong performance from him, the Jags would seem to have the advantage at every other spot.  The line stands at the Sals giving 6 points.