Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Riley Nantz returns an interception to the end zone for a touchdown on Saturday.

By Ray Hamill — The St. Bernard’s Crusaders answered the call in emphatic fashion in their home opener on Saturday afternoon.

After seeing an early two-touchdown lead disappear in less than 80 seconds, they regrouped and scored on three of their next four possessions on their way to a comfortable 49-32 win.

The win was the second in two weeks for the team.

“Defensively we had a lot of breakdowns, but I loved the way we rallied and went right back and took control,” head coach Matt Tomlin said. “I’m super happy with the kids and they’re a fun group.”

No one had a bigger impact than Tyler Hinrichs, who continues to lead this team in more ways than one.

In addition to nailing all seven of this PATs and playing well on defense, Hinrichs also ran in for a pair of touchdowns and threw a TD pass to Tyler Maples on a fake field goal.

“He’s our Swiss army knife,” Tomlin said of the junior standout who has stepped up the level of his game this year. 

Hinrichs plays both running back and receiver for the Crusaders, as well as switching between linebacker and defensive end depending on the defense.

Fellow junior Luke Brunton also had a big game on the offensive side of the ball.

After splitting time at quarterback last season and early this year, Brunton was named the starter for Saturday’s game and he did not disappoint.

Brunton completed 19-of-24 passes for 238 yards, including throwing completions on his first 12 passes.

Check out some game highlights below …

“Luke Brunton was electric at quarterback,” Tomlin said. “He was amazing. He puts the ball right on the receivers.”

The visitors, however, would not go down without a fight.

Trailing 14-0 after the opening quarter, they went to work and quickly scored two TDs — the latter coming after they recovered an onside kick — as well as a pair of two-point conversions to take a 16-14 lead.

But the home team responded immediately, marching 57 yards on seven plays and scoring on a 16-yard Luis Malko-Allen TD run.

A Garrett Shanahan interception on the Wolverines’ ensuing possession set up another touchdown for the Crusaders with Hinrichs finding the end zone on a five-yard run.

Brunton helped set up the score with a 61-yard pass to receiver Michael Manzi.

The home team’s offense continued to have its way after the interval and added a fifth touchdown on a five-yard TD pass from Brunton to Quentin Ikeya.

Junior linebacker Riley Nantz would add a pick-six early in the fourth quarter before Trenten Hagler closed out the scoring for the Crusaders with a touchdown run late in the game.

The Crusaders have now scored 13 touchdowns in their first two games of the season, both of which have resulted in wins.

Senior Kieran Flynn, who is one of four team captains, also has impressed early in the season, anchoring the offensive line at right guard.

“He just really set the tone for the team, and he’s taking on a leadership role,” Tomlin said of Flynn. “He’s very physical.”

Manzi finished with six catches for 111 yards, while Hinrichs had seven catches for 61 yards and scored TDs on both of his carries.

Maples also impressed on both sides of the ball, including a team-high nine tackles on defense.

In addition to his key interception, Shanahan also had five catches for 53 yards.

With the loss, the Wolverines dropped to 1-1.

The St. Bernard’s JVs also beat Willits by a score of 12-0 to go to 2-0.

Next up, St. Bernard’s will host Biggs next Saturday.