Cruce Brookins steals the show as Steel Valley bests Serra Catholic

By: Jose Negron
Saturday, October 29, 2022 | 12:01 AM

It was the Cruce Brookins show atop “The Nest” at Serra Catholic on Friday night.

The Steel Valley senior scored four first-half touchdowns on the ground and added a pair of interceptions on defense as he helped guide the Ironmen to an Allegheny Conference title with a 28-0 win over the host Eagles.

Brookins, a Kent State commit, finished with 299 yards on 19 carries. He had 273 yards in the first half for Steel Valley (9-0, 7-0).

“He’s a top-notch player who works hard and wants to win,” Steel Valley head coach Ray Braszo said. “He’s a gamer and always comes ready to play. We figured we needed this game, and he’s the guy to go to.”

The Eagles’ run defense struggled for the second straight week, as they allowed Apollo-Ridge’s Dominick Curci to run for 338 yards and five touchdowns in a loss last week.

As a team, the Ironmen totaled 477 rushing yards.

“We have to continue the process of going over tackling,” Serra Catholic head coach Jose Regus said. “We can put them in the position to make plays, but the kids have to make them. We’ll go back to the basics and get better with it.”

Brookins capped off Steel Valley’s opening drive with a 4-yard touchdown run after totaling 73 yards on the ground.

On Serra Catholic’s second possession of the game, Brookins picked off a Quadir Stribling pass in the end zone. On the third play of the Ironmen’s ensuing drive, he found paydirt on a 65-yard touchdown to help extend the lead to 14-0.

Brookins added another interception on a pass from Elijah Ward before he finished off a six-play drive with a 3-yard scoring run. He also showed his ability to throw the ball on the drive, connecting with Delmario Shields on a 46-yard completion.

Brookins’ final score of the half came with just over a minute to go before halftime as he went 83 yards to the house. The Ironmen took a 28-0 lead into the break.

“Our line did a great job as always,” Braszo said. “And when Cruce gets going, he’s hard to stop.”

Steel Valley had 352 rushing yards and just under 400 yards of total offense at the half.

Serra Catholic (7-3, 5-2) mustered 96 total yards in the first half.

“Cruce is a great player, and he made a lot of plays. It’s hard to stop a player like that,” Regus said. “He is definitely one of the better players we have seen this year.”

The Eagles (7-3, 5-2) managed to shut out the Ironmen in the second half while finding more success moving the ball on offense.

On the team’s second drive of the half, Michael Schanck and Elijah Ward helped the offense drive down the field from the Serra 25 all the way down to the goal line. Schanck had long runs of 13 and 16 yards, while Ward showcased his elusiveness on a 24-yard gain. A holding call helped halt the drive, however, as an incomplete pass on fourth down later forced the ball to go the other way.

Still, Ward had 59 rushing yards on 10 carries and Schanck ran the ball nine times for 47 yards.

“We didn’t finish, but we did a good job of moving the ball in the second half against the No. 1 defense in the WPIAL,” Regus said. “For us to be able to move the ball, that’s a positive we can take into the playoffs.”

Tags: Serra Catholic, Steel Valley