That St. Augustine got “punched in the mouth” in the first half against Holy Cross on Saturday didn't sit well with Coach Robert Valdez.

So, in the second half, the Purple Knights turned to their running game in taking a 32-24 District 9-5A victory against the Tigers at Tad Gormley.

St. Augustine (8-1, 5-1) won its fourth consecutive game since its only loss to No. 1-ranked Edna Karr. The Purple Knights end the regular season Friday at John Curtis, whose only loss also came against Karr on Friday.

“(At halftime), we told them the story about front-runners,” Valdez said. “Front-runners are always good when things are gong good. We got punched in the mouth, and Holy Cross came out with more effort, executing real crisp.

“We had to make the adjustment. We've been reading our press clippin

See Full Page