ADAMS TWP — A morale booster was needed for the Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic Trojans Friday night and they got it.

The Trojans (2-2, 2-1) racked up about 320 yards on the ground in their 53-7 win over New Brighton (0-4, 0-4) at the Mars Athletic Complex.

“We did some good things on both sides of the ball,” Trojans coach Jason Gildon said. “I'd like to see this on a more consistent basis.”

The Trojans came into Friday night with the itch of a 42-13 loss to Central Valley the week prior.

Most of the first half was dominated by senior running back Mario Latronica, who found the end zone three times Friday night.

Latronica had 19 touches for 98 yards to go with the three touchdowns.

“We faced a lot of adversity last week,” Latronica said. “Coming off that game, we knew we had to pick it up. This was huge for us.”

His longest rush of the night came with a 22-yard touchdown run with 7:30 left in the second quarter.

Latronica credited the offensive line for his and teammates' success.

“I can't do my job without them,” he said of the offensive line. “We just need to keep this steam rolling. We know we have our confidence and know what we can do.”

Junior signal caller Ryan Maziarz also added to the Trojans' dominance, running for 101 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw for 93 yards.

“The play calling really helped a huge deal,” Maziarz said. “We had to come back from last week. It feels incredible.”

Gildon said the Trojans “lean on” Latronica to produce big numbers and that the quarterback position was “up in the air” at the beginning of the season.

He said he credits the offensive line for Maziarz's success. “I think the (offensive) line has stepped up and taken on the challenge,” Gildon said.

The Trojans defense also intercepted New Brighton quarterback Tyler Williams twice and held the Lions to just nine first downs on the night.

The Lions looked to make a comeback after junior Alonzo Jackson picked off Maziarz late in the second quarter near midfield.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against North Catholic moved New Brighton deeper into Trojans territory.

The drive was capped of by a six-yard touchdown pass from Williams to junior wide receiver Deshawn Clark to end the half with a score of 28-7.

However, the Lions defense could not stop the Trojans' crusade on the ground.

New Brighton was also stalled on offense, being held to less than 120 yards of total offense.

Trojans junior Joe Meinart touched the ball only four times on the night, all in the second half.

However, he made them count with two touchdown runs of five yards and 30 yards, respectively.

Cameron Branch also scored in garbage time late in the fourth quarter with a 21-yard run.

Gildon said although good things were seen in Friday night's win, some improvements need to be made in consistency and maturity.

“It's kind of showing we can't be up one week and then down the other,” he added. “The seniors are going to have step forward and continue leading this team.”

North Catholic scored on their opening drive despite three penalties and three dropped passes by Dominic Serventi, Jack Cassidy and Joey Porter, Jr.

The Trojans had 11 penalties for 100 yards on the night.

Maziarz also fumbled the football early in the third quarter while attempting to run into the Lions' end zone. The Lions recovered the ball resulting in a touchback.

“We're still at that point where we would like to see some things done more consistently,” Gildon said. “We're still growing as we go.”