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7:07 p.m.
OK, we've got 5:08 to play. I'm heading down to the field for the postgame excitement. You know, the crying and handshaking and whatnot.

As of now, it appears Curtis has this game won, Lauricella's interception being the true difference in the game. Without that pick six, St. James is still alive.

But there's just not enough time left for the Wildcats to do anything.

7 p.m.
OK. I was right. Not enough possessions left for St. James. Curtis just did what Curtis does best - it ate time off the clock, moved the ball and scored a touchdown.

Matt Saucier did his job, figuring out whether to hold onto the ball or hand it off. He even threw a pass (I know, I know. More than 2 passes in a Curtis game. Who would have thought.).

Saucier plunged in from the 1, and Curtis went up again by two possessions.

Curtis scoring drive: 13 plays, 71 yards, 5:58 TOP

Curtis 28, St. James 13

6:50 p.m.
Curtis running back Blaine LeBlanc is being helped off the field after injuring his leg with 13 seconds to play in the third quarter.

6:38 p.m.
OK, maybe I spoke too soon.

After a horribly inefficient reverse on the ensuing kickoff, St. James started at its 6. And then a false start penalty put the ball at the 3.

And then Luther Ambrose decided he wanted to play football. This guy is fast. No, really. Really, really fast.

On first-and-10 from the 37, Ambrose took the handoff, broke through the right end of the line, and sprinted 63 yards for a touchdown. No one was even close to catching - or even touching - him.

The extra point hit the left upright. That could come to be huge in this one.

St. James scoring drive: 4 plays, 94 yards, 1:34 TOP

Curtis 21, St. James 13, 3:59 3rd Q

6:32 p.m.
Curtis' Alex Lauricella made it OK that Matt Saucier fumbled the ball away on the Patriots' last possession.

St. James, on its first pass attempt of the day, turned the ball over. Lauricella, in turn, returned the interception 47 yards for a touchdown.

This one might be over. Two possessions to tie for St. James and it might not have enough time left in the game.

Curtis 21, St. James 7, 5:38 3rd Q

6:30 p.m.
Yep, we're not halfway through the third quarter and we've seen our first fumble. Curtis was driving, and actually putting together a nice drive with some beautiful play calls.

Then quarterback Matt Saucier turned to his right, expecting a running back to handoff to. There was no one there. Busted play.

The result - St. James' Juarelle Narcisse forces a fumble that Marcus Dumas recovered.

6:25 p.m.
So, Curtis took the ball to open the second half and gained two yards. St. James is stacking nine in the box to stop Curtis. I'm guessing that's why Curtis threw that pass at the end of the second.

St. James has the ball now and really isn't moving.

5:55 p.m.
It's halftime in the Dome, and most of us here in the press box couldn't be happier. We love running teams. That means quick games, which is a good thing.

Curtis leads 14-7 at halftime, but I can't say that it controlled the game. Heck, it would be hard for me to say St. James controlled the first half.

It was a sloppily played 24 minutes, with fumbles leading the statistical packet until about midway through the second quarter when it appeared both teams settled down.

If you like good football, sorry. Maybe the second half will be more to your liking. I'm hoping for my case it is.

I just realized, neither team took a timeout in the first half. No wonder it tok roughly 40-45 minutes for the first half to be completed.

First half stats:
Curtis :160 total yards on 23 plays (97 rush, 63 pass); 4 fumbles, 2 lost
Kenny Cain - 8 carries, 38 yards; Blaine LeBlanc - 7 carries, 31 yards, 1 TD
Matt Saucier -3-for-3 for 63 yards, 1 TD; 5 carries, 28 yards

St. James : 71 total yards on 27 plays (71 rush, 0 pass); 2 fumbles, 2 lost
Gary Davis - 3 carries, 25 yards; Kenny Zenon - 8 carries, 22 yards; Marcus Dumas - 6 carries, 21 yards; Juarelle Narcisse - 2 carries, 2 yards, 1 TD

5:48 p.m.
I'm not sure if Curtis necessarily made an "adjustment," but I do know that it's finally looking like Curtis.

Well, it was looking like Curtis. After using the veer option to move to the St. James 30 from its own 40, quarterback Matt Saucier used play-action and hit Vincent Allen for a 30-yard touchdown pass.

You don't see that a lot from Curtis.

And guess what - no fumbles on the series. Hmm. Let's see. No fumbles and a touchdown happened. I think I've spotted a trend.

Curtis scoring drive - 4 plays, 60 yards, 1:32 TOP

Curtis 14, St. James 7, 1:13 2nd Q

5:40 p.m.
Curtis ties the game despite Blaine LeBlanc fumbling early in the series. He recovered his mishap, and then finished off the drive, stumbling in from 16 yards out.

The Patriots scored despite three false start penalties, two of which put them in a first-and-20 situation.

Curtis' scoring drive - 12 plays, 70 yards, 5:04 TOP

St. James 7, Curtis 7, 5:55 remaining 2nd Q

5:31 p.m.
Just got the first quarter stats. They might be a little embarrassing. I'm not kidding.

Curtis had 15 total yards and three fumbles, of which it lost two.
St. James had 31 total yards and two fumbles, of which it lost two.

On the other hand, St. James did have one bright spot - It controlled the ball for 9:06 of the first 12 minutes.

5:25 p.m.
And we have our first score. Thanks to a Marcus Dumas 23-yard run, Juarelle Narcisse only had to bull in from the Curtis 1 for a touchdown. Narcisse then made the extra point and St. James leads 7-0 with 10:59 left in the second.

I've got to say, I'm shocked we saw some offense in this game. I'm hoping - and guessing - that the teams have finally settled down.

St. James' scoring drive: 13 plays, 54 yards, 6:31 TOP

St. James 7, Curtis 0

5:22 p.m.
OK. So, it's the end of the first quarter, and we in the Dome are finally starting to see an actual drive on offense. St. James, after roughly - and maybe I'm exaggerating here - 15 fumbles, is moving the ball.

A roughing the kicker penalty helped on fourth-and-15 (though I suspect J.T. Curtis didn't agree. He was jumping up and down like he had something to say.). The Wildcats also converted a fourth-and-one and a third-and-7. They're now at first-and-10 at the Curtis 23.

It's the beginning of the first. We'll see what happens.

5:10 p.m.
And now Curtis fumbles the ball right back.

Um, let me be the first to say, someone please hold onto the ball. I'd like to see some offense in this game.

That's all.

Another fumble. Another turnover. St. James' quarterback fumbled, Curtis recovered. Next play, Curtis fumbles, St. James recovers.

I'm pretty sure I could hold onto the ball better than this. Just saying.

5:05 p.m.
Curtis stuffed St. James on the opening series, but Jonathan McKnight did a big no-no on the punt return.

He picked up a ball, bounding his way on a low kick, and with no blockers in front, went backwards. He fumbled, but Curtis recovered.

I've got to think that if Curtis continues to make little mistakes like that, this game could go the other way and J.T. Curtis might lose to the same team twice.

As I say that, St. James' Luther Ambrose fumbles a punt he should have caught. Curtis ball. Let's see what happens.

5 p.m.
St. James won the toss and elected to receive. Will this be the only win the Wildcats get all day? We'll see.

4:45 p.m.
Fifteen minutes until kickoff between St. James and Curtis. The excitement is palpable. OK, not exactly. But from the press box, it appears everybody who has a child who goes to St. James, as well as anyone who has ever gone to St. James and anyone who lives within a 75-mile radius of St. James has shown up.

Not much else going on.

Oh wait. SJHS is entering the field. The crowd is cheering. Guess it's time to start working.

Enjoy.