NORWOOD, Ohio — Moeller junior running back Jordan Marshall and his teammates had a look of determination on the opening drive against St. Xavier Friday night at Shea Stadium in Norwood.
The Crusaders had a 17-play opening drive that took 6:19 and culminated with the first of Marshall's four touchdowns as Moeller defeated visiting St. Xavier 28-7 in a Division I regional quarterfinal.
Moeller (11-1) advances to play Mason (10-2) in a regional semifinal Nov. 11 at a location to be determined by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
The Crusaders, the No. 1 seed in Region 4 for a second straight season, led St. X 21-0 at halftime Friday night.
Marshall rushed 28 times for 263 yards and four touchdowns. He has 1,523 yards and 24 touchdowns this season.
"It was great," Marshall said after the game. "This is what we wanted. We wanted to come out and beat these guys pretty bad. This is our rival and we prepared for this game. Our linemen up front do an amazing job and I'm going to owe it to them every single time. It's not always me."
Moeller coach Mark Elder said the Crusaders made it a point to give Marshall a lot of carries in the game.
"I thought our o-line blocked well for him, opened up some holes," Elder said. "The receivers on the perimeter did a good job in that."
Elder said the Crusaders didn't prepare any differently this week despite facing the Bombers for a second time this season.
"I'm very proud of the group," Elder said. "The seniors have been fantastic. This was a big one for us. That's a very, very good football team. Well coached. I'm pleased with our performance. Glad that we're advancing."
Moeller senior safety Tommy Stines had a team-high six tackles.
St. X (5-7) completes its season as a regional quarterfinalist. Junior running back Gage Patrick had 133 yards rushing. Senior Jamaal Sharp caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Chase Herbstreit in the third quarter.
Senior linebacker Alex Devine had a team-high 11 tackles for the Bombers.
