GCG Week 3: St. John Neumann bounces back with 56-26 win over Gulliver Prep

St. John Neumann didn’t have to wait long for an opportunity to respond. One week after suffering a 34-14 loss to Immaculata-La Salle, the Celtics returned home Friday night and delivered an emphatic answer, defeating Gulliver Prep 56-26. The Celtics carried a 28-14 advantage into halftime, but showed little interest in protecting the lead when the second half began. Instead, St. John Neumann went right back on the attack. A strong return on the opening kickoff initially appeared to give the Celtics favorable field position before an illegal blindside block penalty pushed them back 15 yards. Quarterback Carter Quinn made sure the setback didn’t last long. Quinn went to the air, connecting on multiple quick passes to Royce Herrera as Neumann steadily moved down the field. The Celtics continued to chip away at the Raiders’ defense before senior receiver Rony Raposo made one of the most physical plays of the drive. Raposo absorbed a hard hit while making a reception that helped put Neumann inside the red zone. He was forced to the sideline following the play, but the drive he helped extend soon resulted in another Celtics touchdown. Quinn handed the ball to Mickenson Dimezier, who punched it in to extend Neumann’s advantage to 35-14. Gulliver Prep refused to go away quietly. The Raiders answered with a touchdown of their own, cutting into the deficit and keeping pressure on a Neumann team looking to put the previous week’s loss behind it. But every time Gulliver Prep threatened to make things interesting, the Celtics found another answer. Neumann continued piling up points on its way to 56, more than quadrupling its scoring output from the previous week’s loss. By the final whistle, the Celtics had turned a two-touchdown halftime advantage into a convincing 30-point victory. For Neumann, the result offered exactly the kind of response it was looking for after last week’s setback. Rather than allowing one loss to linger, the Celtics returned home and immediately got back in the win column. Now they’ll try to take that response on the road. St. John Neumann travels to face Lemon Bay next week as the Celtics look to carry Friday night’s offensive momentum into their next test. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV