The monkey is finally off St. Pius X's back.
After starting the season 0-2, suffering a 53-6 loss to Beaumont United and a 26-13 defeat at the hands of La Marque, the Week 3 matchup didn't get any easier welcoming six-time SPC State Champion Episcopal.
St. Pius X led 26-7 heading to the fourth quarter. In the final 12 minutes, the Panthers gave up 22 points to the Knights but in the end had enough to hold them off for the 32-29 win and the first victory of the Billy Noonan era.
"The players never gave up and never doubted," Noonan told VYPE. "They continued to work and practice hard. Episcopal is an unbelievable team and program. To beat that team shows our heart and our love for each other.
"The theme of the game was LOVE and we played with love for each other tonight. Great team win."
The loss was the first of the season for Episcopal, who had blown out its first two opponents of the season (Navasota 28-3, Sam Rayburn 47-0).
St. Pius X sophomore Collin Wright had a standout game on the defensive side of the ball.
Wright finished with three interceptions. The final one of the night sealed the victory as he picked off a pass in the end zone as time expired. Offensively, Cam McKeon earned the player of the game nod from Noonan.
🏈 PANTHERS WIN!
Episcopal 29, SPX 32
Incredible effort by the defense, offensive power plays, electric energy through the stands. 👊#SPXvsEHS | #CODEBLACK pic.twitter.com/JYITVQpImu
— St. Pius X Athletics (@SPXPanthers) September 14, 2019
