Elder's Kevin Sullivan catches a TD pass. (Craig Ruttle photos) | ZOOM |

        Combining a dominating defense with a ball-control offense, the No. 3 Elder Panthers handed the No. 2 Moeller Crusaders a 21-7 setback before a capacity crowd of 12,000 at Galbreath Field.

        The victory moves Elder into sole possession of first place in the Greater Catholic League South division.

        If Elder defeats St.X next week, the Panthers claim the outright title.

        “We changed our saying tonight when we broke the defensive huddle for every play,” Elder linebacker P.J. Volker said. “We used "Dogs' in previous games because we swarm. Tonight we yelled "Attack,' and that's what we did.”

        The Panthers defense played a major role in the victory, limiting the Crusaders to 125 yards rushing and 75 through the air. Moeller quarterback Tony Cunningham was just six-of-13 passes.

Elder defender grabs Marcus Blanks by the ankle. | ZOOM |

        “The defense did a good job and didn't allow (Marcus) Blanks any long runs,” Elder coach Doug Ramsey said. “The goal line stand by our defense was also big.”

        Ramsey was referring to Moeller's drive to the Elder one-yard line early in the fourth quarter. The Crusaders were unable to push it in on four plays with Volker coming up with two big hits.

        Moeller was its own worst enemy, committing two turnovers and drawing 11 penalties for 104 yards, two that thwarted drives.

        “Penalties hurt them,” Ramsey said. “The biggest was in the second quarter. Instead of being tied at 7-7, Moeller could have had the ball at midfield and gone in for a TD.”

        Ramsey was referring to a personal foul against a Moeller player on a Kyle Koester punt. Since the ball hadn't changed hands, Moeller was assessed a 15-yard penalty and Elder retained possession at the Panthers 34.

Kyle Koester (31) is hugged by teammates after a TD. | ZOOM |

        It took Elder 10 plays to score with Koester scoring from three yards out with 54 seconds remaining. A holding call against Moeller on a third down play kept the drive alive.

        Leading 14-7 at halftime, Elder scored on its first possession of the third quarter, driving 87 yards on seven plays. Koester scored on a seven-yard run with 6:48 remaining.

        The big play was a 50- yard run on the first play from scrimmage following a Moeller punt.

        “It was just a normal dive play,” said Koester, who rushed for 202 yards on 30 carries. “I saw the hole to the outside. The blocking was tremendous on the play.”

Moeller's Tony Cunningham scrambles for a first down. | ZOOM |

        Elder's offense kept the defense off the field.

        The Panthers rushed for 205 yards, while quarterback Matt Scholl completed nine-of-16 passes for 129 yards and one TD.

        “We don't want to share the GCL with anyone,” Koester said. “St. X is huge, and we'll have to be ready.”

        Elder scored first. The Panthers returned the opening kickoff to the 28 and drove 72 yards in seven plays with Kevin Sullivan scoring on a 19-yard pass from Scholl.

        The Crusaders tied the game at 7-7, scoring on their second possession and on the first play of the second quarter. Marcus Blanks climaxed a 48-yard, eight-play drive, scoring from 6 yards out.

        This set the stage for Elder's drive before halftime that changed the momentum and gave the Panthers a 14-7 lead.

        “Anytime you hold Moeller to seven points, you know the defense did the job,” Ramsey said. “We blitzed a lot on third down because we wanted to put pressure on Cunningham.”

       Elder ....... 7 7 7 0 21

        Moeller ....... 0 7 0 0 7

        E—Sullivan 19 pass from Scholl (Bengel kick)

        M—Blanks 6 run (Murphy kick)

        E—Koester 3 run (Bengel kick)

        E—Koester 7 run (Bengel kick)

        Records: Elder 5-1, 2-0 GCL South; Moeller 6-1, 2-1 GCL South.

Complete prep football coverage at Enquirer.com/prepfootball

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