Cadets vs. Packers offensive standouts

Brian Jerzak

September 5, 2021 @ 01:55 PM

When St. Thomas Academy and South St. Paul resumed their rivalry Friday night, I had a feeling there were not going to be many points scored. I’ve been to many of these games while writing for prepredzonemn.com and northstarfootball.com. Regardless of their records, the games were always physical, closely contested, and low-scoring. So, it didn’t come as a surprise when the Cadets won 18-6 in a game that only featured two offensive touchdowns. Although both offenses struggled for most of the game, some performances stood out. Rekhi McKinley, Dillon Lynch, Tony Fay OL St. Thomas Academy The Cadets’ offensive line was the most consistent group on the field. This interior trio was responsible for most of the Cadets’ success in the running game. Unable to get anything done in the passing game or on the edges, late in the first half, the Cadets found a formula that would take control of the second half. They matched the Packers’ physicality, and as the game wore on, they started to wear down the defense’s interior. Especially in the second half, these three were firing off the ball and opening holes in the defense that got their running backs to the second level without being touched. [player_tooltip player_id="105372" first="Savion" last="Lopez"] RB St. Thomas Academy Lopez’s explosive run on 4th and 7 showed how quickly he could get through the hole. He runs with a low pad level and shows good vision – especially when he bounced a run designed to run up the middle and got the corner for a seven-yard touchdown. He has excellent feet and makes great quick, short cuts to find space. Lopez showed his speed during his second and final touchdown run. The sophomore – who wasn’t even supposed to start - finished with over 150 yards rushing in his first varsity start. [player_tooltip player_id="116205" first="Alonzo" last="Dodd"] QB South St. Paul Dodd was possibly the best athlete on the field and did a little bit of everything for the Packers. Despite the offense’s struggles against the always tough Cadets’ defense, he did a good job running the Packers’ option offense. Especially considering the offense could not generate anything between the tackles, Dodd had to live on the outside. He almost always made solid decisions on whether to pitch or keep the ball. He wasn’t asked to pass very much but hit a few nice throws to keep drives going. His open-field ability was on display with his kick return touchdown late in the game.