Crespi Hero Is Zimmerman

Crespi High defensive lineman David Zimmerman stopped Chaminade running back John Perry’s two-point conversion with 23 seconds remaining to preserve the Celts’ 23-21 nonleague victory Friday night at Chaminade.

Trailing, 3-0, at the beginning of the second half, Chaminade quarterback Lyle Everett (17 of 30 for 324 yards and three touchdowns) led a 15-play, 80-yard drive capped by his 17-yard scoring pass to Nick Lawson.

With the score still 7-3 in the fourth quarter, the Celts proceeded to convert three Chaminade turnovers into 20 unanswered points.

Quarterback Robert Muller (seven of 12, 110 yards, two touchdown passes) completed a 31-yard touchdown pass to Blake Tippetts, scored on a 10-yard scoring run and passed for a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Guardino--all in a span of five minutes--to put the Celts ahead, 23-7.

Everett rallied the Eagles, tossing scoring passes of 34 and 11 yards to Chris Canoles to bring Chaminade to within 23-21, with 23 seconds remaining.

That led to Zimmerman’s big defensive stop on the ensuing two-point conversion.

“John Perry is the strongest runner on our strongest play and that’s why that play was run,” Chaminade Coach Ed Croson said. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Zimmerman was right there.

Canoles had eight catches for 124 yards.

Eric Zdenek had six catches for 116 yards for Chaminade.

Crespi failed to convert two first-half scoring opportunities when kicker Evan Driedger misfired on field-goal tries from 29 yards and 45 yards out.

Driedger’s first miss came in the first quarter after Crespi made an 18-play drive that took 7:17 off the clock.