List of 6 news stories.

• Big plays in 2nd half power Faith Lutheran past Shadow Ridge

  Faith Lutheran’s football team was outgained by more than 130 yards in the first half on Friday night at Shadow Ridge. Then the Crusaders got a spark from an unlikely source: baseball standout Rouselle Shepard.

   

  Shepard caught a 52-yard touchdown pass and had a 49-yard kickoff return to set up another score, and Cale Breslin rushed for three TDs as Faith Lutheran, No. 5 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, rallied for a 35-20 road win over the No. 7 Mustangs.  Read more

• Faith Lutheran sweeps Sierra Vista in girls volleyball

  Faith Lutheran rolled to a 25-20, 25-17, 25-16 road win at Sierra Vista in a girls volleyball match Wednesday night.

  Leah Hernandez had 17 digs for Faith Lutheran (8-5, 3-1 Class 5A Desert League). Parker LaFontaine had eight kills and three aces, and Andrea Romero-Agosto added six assists for the Crusaders.

   

  Faith Lutheran next plays at Basic at 6 p.m. Sept. 19, and Sierra Vista (14-6, 3-2) plays at Shadow Ridge at 6 p.m. Monday.

• Faith Lutheran gets ‘dynamic’ RB back as league play nears

  Faith Lutheran running back Cale Breslin missed the first two games of this season with a hamstring injury.

  Even though the Crusaders managed to win their first two contests without the Brigham Young commit, Breslin’s presence adds a different dynamic to their offense.

   

  As Faith Lutheran prepares for Class 5A Division II Southern League play, the Crusaders just got their best player back in action. Breslin returned Friday night and had two rushing touchdowns in a 41-0 home win over Northern school Damonte Ranch. Breslin “looked very good tonight, and I see him coming more into his own as the season goes on,” Faith Lutheran coach Mike Sanford said. “Cale can be a home run hitter. … He was dynamic, and he’s a dynamic runner.” Breslin nearly had another touchdown on a long run of 60 yards but was tripped up inside Damonte Ranch’s 10-yard line. Sanford said the hamstring issue wasn’t serious, but he wanted Breslin to be completely healthy before his season debut.

  
  Sanford credited junior Justin Robbins and senior Nick Knight for filling in with Breslin out.

  Faith Lutheran reached the 5A Division II state title game last season, falling to Northern champion Bishop Manogue 40-21. But the Crusaders remained in 5A Division II after finishing third in the regular-season standings.

   

  After splitting snaps last season, senior Alex Rogers has solidified himself as Faith Lutheran’s starting quarterback in the backfield alongside Breslin. Rogers threw two touchdowns Friday, including a 59-yard strike to Jaxon Cope. “I’m very excited about how we played tonight,” Sanford said. “We’ve improved each game. We improved tonight … and we’re getting people back. That’s a plus.”
  
  

  Rogers has received some reinforcement at wide receiver from Rouselle Shepard, who missed the first game and starred on Faith Lutheran’s baseball team the past two seasons. Shepard had 110 receiving yards and a touchdown in a 19-14 win at Bakersfield Christian on Aug. 23.

  
  Sanford said he’s also been impressed by the defense and constant improvement of kicker Liam Radke. On Friday, linebacker Ricky Manning had an interception return for a touchdown and Radke made two field goals. Radke made a game-winning kick in the final seconds of Faith Lutheran’s 25-23 season-opening win against Desert Hills (Utah) on Aug. 16.

  
  Faith Lutheran has a bye next week and opens league play at Shadow Ridge on Sept. 13. Sanford, the former UNLV coach, compared getting ready for Shadow Ridge’s triple-option offense to preparing for facing Air Force.“Shadow Ridge is difficult to prepare for. … We have a lot of respect for them, and it’s going to be a big game for us,” Sanford said.

• No. 2 Faith Lutheran routs No. 3 Gorman in girls soccer

  Faith Lutheran, ranked No. 2 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, rolled to a 4-1 home victory over No. 3 Bishop Gorman in a girls soccer match Thursday. Leila Armstrong, Olivia Stark, Kloe Abdalla and Riley Renteria each scored goals for Faith Lutheran (5-0, 1-0 5A Southern League). The Crusaders led 3-0 at halftime.

  Emma Flannery scored a goal for Bishop Gorman (4-1, 0-1).

  
  Faith Lutheran next plays at No. 4 Liberty at 6 p.m. Monday, and Bishop Gorman plays at No. 5 Arbor View at 4:30 p.m. Monday.
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  Ten Seniors commit to their respective colleges

  On Monday May 20th, Faith Lutheran had their largest signing event to date with ten student-athletes committing to their respective colleges. Front row: Preston Beery - USC (Track), James Vogel - Air Force (Track), Ava Walker - Chaminade (Softball), Ella Swin - Dallas Baptist (Volleyball), Tyler Pfefferkorn - Western Kentucky - Cross Country. Back Row: Hunter Beck - Allan Hancock College (Baseball), Alyson Marmor - Lehigh University (Track), Sophia Legat - UNLV (Track), Gregory Wright - Arizona Christian (Soccer), Ethan Otto - Hamburg, Germany (Soccer), Dmitri Mendez - Oregon Tech (Soccer).
  
  Congratulations to all of these student-athletes and their families! Go Crusaders!
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  Three Crusaders Headed to the Next Level

  On Wednesday March 27th, three Crusaders made their commitment to compete at the collegiate level. Congratulations to Huba Hadju - Concordia Wisconsin - Soccer, Kennedy Benjamins - Grand Canyon University - Track and Field, and Carson Schultz - Concordia Irvine - Lacrosse.