Defense and special teams spark the Stars’ comeback victory

Brian Jerzak

November 7, 2020 @ 12:47 AM

The Academy of Holy Angels Stars gave up 19 straight points and fell behind 19-7 mid-way through the third quarter. The offense was struggling to get anything consistent going on the ground. Late in the third quarter, the defense forced a turnover, then made a stop, and the Stars got a break in the kicking game. The game had turned in the Stars’ favor, but they still needed to hang on to walk away 29-27 winners over Benilde-St. Margaret’s. Lead by linebacker Ryan Bercich, the Stars’ defense was in control early. They forced two punts and set up the offense with good field position. Behind the running of , the Stars moved into the red zone and took the lead on a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Theo Doran to Bryce Boyd. Doran found Boyd in the back corner of the end zone for the early 7-0 lead. The game turned on a defensive play by the Red Knights. The defensive line got immediate pressure on Doran, and he threw an ill-advised pass to avoid the sack. BSM defensive back Lucio Fialo picked off the pass. During the ensuing drive, the Knights were facing a third and long, but quarterback Jackson Leischow found his favorite target – – for a first down and a first and goal. The next play, running back got the corner, made a series of moves in the open field, and finished the run with a dive for the goal line to tie the game. The Stars answered with an impressive drive, mixing the run and pass. In the red zone, the Knights defense laid a big hit on Johnson, and he fumbled – giving the ball back to BSM inside their own 15-yard line. BSM was not content to go into the half tied. They moved out of the shadow of their own goal line, and then Leischow threw a slant to Woodford. With a defender undercutting the route and nearly picking the pass, Woodford kept his concentration, caught the ball, turned upfield, and scored a 61-yard touchdown with just under two minutes to play in the half. The Knights would keep pouring it on coming out of the locker room. Mainly behind the running of Petty, BSM moved to the red zone. Faced with a fourth and goal from the two, Leischow and BSM converted with a touchdown pass to Charlie Hansen. Still unable to get any consistency on offense and down 19-7, the Stars got a lift from their defense. Junior defensive back Terrence Roberts Jr. picked off an over-thrown ball and returned it deep into BSM territory. The very next play, Doran threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Chuck Gilbert III. "Once we got the defense going," Bercich said, "the defense set us up, we were flying. We wanted to make plays and get the win." The Stars’ defense pinned the Knights deep in their own territory setting up a big break for the Stars. With their punter lined up inside the five-yard line, BSM’s long snapper’s snap was low, and while attempting to field the punt, the Knights punter had to go to his knees – ending the play and turning the ball over on downs inside the five-yard line. Johnson would quickly get into the end zone with his second touchdown of the game – giving Holy Angels their first lead since the first quarter. Bercich stuffed a BSM run on third and short to force a punt, but the start of the ensuing drive did not look promising for the Stars. A penalty had them looking at a 2nd and twenty. A great adjustment on the ball by Gilbert allowed him to make a catch – just as he was hit – to pick up twelve yards, and then a pass interference penalty would allow the Stars’ drive to continue. Johnson would find a big hole up the middle, then bounce the run to the outside for his third touchdown run of the game to put his team up 29-19 three minutes into the fourth quarter. Woodford’s big night would continue with four catches on a late touchdown drive. The final catch was a five-yard touchdown with 35 seconds to play. Down by two, the Knights tried an onside kick. The referees would have a long talk about it, but they finally decided the Stars had recovered the kick – allowing them to run out the clock and walk away with a 29-27 victory. "It was a dog fight," Bercich – who plays linebacker and guard - said. "It stared upfront. It was a battle in the trenches. We are a fourth-quarter team. We condition for that and come out and punch harder in the end." "It took the whole team to win this game," Johnson said. "I think everybody played together. We stayed positive and came together in the second half. That is how we got the win." Next week, the Stars (4-1) will travel to Waconia while Benilde-St. Margaret’s (2-3) will return home to play Robbinsdale Cooper.