Nativity attacked and pushed through the Holy Redeemer defensive line Thursday night en route to a 31-6 victory at Saint Clair Veterans Stadium.
Cooper Felty racked up 122 yards and a touchdown while Bentley Werez scored on the ground and through the air for the Green Wave’s first victory of the season. Thursday’s win helped erase some of the memories of what head coach Pat Mason called a “stale” start to his team’s 2026 campaign.
Last week, the Green Wave offense struggled in a 13-0 loss at Montrose Area. Mason said his team came off the bus flat after a 180-minute trek north. This week, that wasn’t the case.
“I can’t say enough about our kids,” Mason said. “They responded tonight. The thing for me is to see a group of kids, a lot of first-year starters, and how happy they are to win, to see that joy on their face when they get a chance to ring that bell. That stuff is really special.”
Following Thursday night’s game, Nativity students and cheerleaders gathered around a bell at the south end of Veterans Stadium, awaiting the Green Wave players, who came racing toward it and ring it to celebrate the win.
Nativity (1-1) struck early and quickly. Felty and Werez only needed 3 carries on the team’s first offensive possession to get on the board. Felty took in the Wave’s first score from 15 yards out, capping a 3-play, 50-yard drive that took just 49 seconds off the clock.
Werez put the game out of reach quickly in the second quarter, taking in a 12-yard run for a score. Holy Redeemer muffed the ensuing kickoff, which Nativity pounced on and swiftly found the end zone again a few plays later.
After quarterback Owen Holley used a hard count at the line of scrimmage on third down to draw off Royals defenders and earn a new set of downs. But he’d only need one play, hitting Werez on a screen pass, which the back took 30 yards to paydirt and gave his team an 18-0 lead heading into halftime.
From there, a hard-hitting Wave defense limited Holy Redeemer’s offensive output for the night to 198 yards. Danny Trezise and Jacob Williams each picked off Royals quarterback Brady McDermott on the night.
“Our defense has played well both weeks,” Mason said.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HR | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| NAT | 6 | 12 | 0 | 13 | 31 |
| Player | Car | Yds |
|---|---|---|
| J. Fino | 6 | 26 |
| B. McDermott | 6 | 0 |
| W. Rodriguez | 3 | 4 |
| L. Shrader | 8 | 70 |
| R. Zelinka | 2 | -5 |
| Player | C-A-I | Yds |
|---|---|---|
| B. McDermott | 9-21-2 | 103 |
| Player | Rec | Yds |
|---|---|---|
| K. Sepkoski | 1 | 4 |
| J. Grochowski | 4 | 89 |
| J. Fino | 1 | 14 |
| R. Zelinka | 1 | 1 |
| K. Arroya | 2 | 22 |
| Player | Car | Yds |
|---|---|---|
| Coop. Felty | 19 | 122 |
| B. Werez | 7 | 43 |
| J. Williams | 8 | 47 |
| O. Holley | 5 | 22 |
| D. Trezise | 1 | 12 |
| C. Felty | 1 | 0 |
| Player | C-A-I | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| O. Holley | 2-9-0 | 35 | 1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds |
|---|---|---|
| B. Werez | 2 | 35 |
| Player | Int |
|---|---|
| D. Trezise | 1 |
| J. Williams | 1 |
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