No one will catch Andrew Latrash (15) on his way to a 10-yard touchdown run against St Stephens Saturday.
The 28th edition of the St Stephens/St Agnes football series with the Cardinals will go down as one the best. The game, played under ideal weather conditions, had a little of everything, big plays, important breaks, key decisions, and a large enthusiastic crowd that spent much of the afternoon on the edge of their seats.
St Stephens scored on their opening drive of the contest, going 55 yards in 11 plays. Junior Ish Seisay capped the drive with a 5-yard run. When the Cardinals were off side on the ensuing point after touchdown try, Seisay drove up the middle for a successful 2-point try, giving the visitors an 8-0 advantage with 6:58 remaining in the opening period.
Bishop Ireton could generate little offense in the game’s opening stanza, but the Cardinals’ defense, and a couple of penalties, kept the Saints off the board, including an important stand by the defense stopping St Stephens on downs at Ireton 15 yardline.
The home team mounted their best drive of the half when junior Jairdan Walker took a toss at the Ireton 34 yard line and with a couple nifty moves, broke into the clear and dashed to the Saints’ 5 before senior Sam Gallahan hauled the fleet-footed Walker down. The drive stalled there, but senior Matt Bocchi drilled a 30-yard field goal with :11.6 remaining to end the 8-play drive and send the clubs to intermission at 8-3.
The Cardinals came out fast in the third quarter with Andrew Latrash connecting on a 32-yard gem of a catch by junior Drew Smith. Hudson Sullivan bulled over a pair tacklers to the Saints’ 38 yard line before an Ireton fumble ended the promising drive. And the Saints countered immediately to exploit the miscue.
Seisay quickly found the Saints offensive workhorse, junior Isiah Davis with a aerial that Davis hauled to the Ireton 5 yard line before the Cardinals’ linebacker Josh Ammon could drag Davis down. With Davis attracting the home team’s undivided attention, Seisay faked a handoff to big running back, then rolled left for a 5-yard touchdown. Gallahan added the PAT and the Saints grabbed at 15-3 lead. But, the Cardinals would bounce back on their next possession.
Senior Hudson Sullivan fielded the ensuing kickoff at the 15 yard line and bolted around, through, and past the covering Saints until finally corralled at St Stephens 10. Latrash wasted no time on the first play from scrimmage, faking a handoff and scooting straight up the field 10-yards for an Ireton touchdown. Bocchi’s PAT drew the home team back to 15-10.
Walker would make another big play, this time on defense as the lanky junior ended a Saints threat at the Cardinal 11 with a pass interception and return to the home team’s 29. Latrash would once again look “long” for Drew Smith and the wide receiver made a spectacular grab between two defenders to snare a 35 yarder to the Saints 36. Duke would cap the 4-play, 71 yard drive with a 24-yard sprint to north pylon and give the Cardinals their first lead.
Coach Tony Verducci then decided to “go for 2”, looking for a 3-point advantage, and Latrash rolled to his right and waited for Ammon to work his way open the end zone to put 2 critical points on the board as time would tell later in the game.
The Saints counterattacked from their 25 yard line and moved quickly down the field, largely on the Seisay toss to Michon Sobers that had the white-jerseyed visitors in business on the Ireton 12. Then misfortune befell the offense with Seisay suffering an apparent ankle injury and forced out of the game. Freshman Darnell Clement entered, and though the poised quarterback played well, the drive stalled and Ireton took over on downs.
Following an exchange of turnovers; an Ireton halfback pass being picked off, only to see the Saints return the ball via a fumble on their first offensive play that Andre Robinson secured, the game moved to the critical junction in the final quarter. Ireton was unable to move the football and a short punt put the Saints in business at the Cardinal 39. Overcoming a pair of penalties, Sobers made a leaping grab at Ireton’s 5 to set St Stephens in fine position to regain the lead.
The redbirds didn’t fold, stopping a Davis after a gain of a yard, Clement was high on a second down pass, and his third down attempt missed as well. Gallaghan appeared to then tie the contest at 18-18 with a 28-yard field goal, but a roughing the kicker penalty gave the Saints the opportunity for a 1st-and-goal situation and Coach Bernard Joseph took the opportunity to regain the lead.
From great adversity is often found great opportunity, and the Cardinals found it. After a short gain on first down and an incomplete aerial on second down, it was sophomore Corey Johnson’s turn to make the play-of-the-game. On third down Clement looked to the corner of the end zone and lofted a potential touchdown pass. Johnson, however, was tracking the ball all the way and stepped in front of the receiver for the interception and touchback in the end zone.
The remainder of the contest was a desperate attempt by the visitors to get back within field goal range on two more possessions, while the home team labored to use up as much time as possible. As the last gasp toss to Sobers fell incomplete at the Ireton 30, the home crowd could finally exhale and the celebration begin.
Bishop Ireton (2-1) ends their 4-game homestand next Saturday when the Maroon of Episcopal visits Fannon Field. It will be another opportunity to overcome a city opponent that topped the redbirds in 2012. Kickoff is set for 2pm.
Teams 1st 2d 3rd 4th Final
SSSAS 8 0 7 0 15
Cardinals 0 3 7 8 18
SSSAS Seisay 5-yd run (Seisay run)
BI Bocchi 30-yd FG
SSSAS Seisay 5-yd run (Gallahan kick)
BI Latrash 10-yd run (Bocchi kick)
BI Duke 24-yd run (Latrash pass to Ammon)
Attendance: 867
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