Defense, special teams lead the Cadets to victory
Brian Jerzak
In this article:
After a year of not being able to experience sports as we should, I was thrilled to see the first night I would be able to catch a game I could go to one of my all-time favorite places – South St. Paul’s Ettinger Field. I was able to watch one of my favorite rivalries in high school football – the Packers against the Cadets from St. Thomas Academy. I know it is cliché, but you can throw out the records when these two teams play. In a typical Cadets’ and Packers’ game, it was physical, low scoring, and the outcome was still in doubt well into the second half.
Great special teams and even better defense – hallmarks of recent STA teams – carried the day and kept the visiting team in the game until their offense started to click. In the end, the Cadets earned a hard-fought 18-6 win.
"You throw out the records when St. Thomas Academy plays South St. Paul," STA head coach Dan O’Brien said. "The last three times we have played, South St. Paul has beaten St. Thomas. We talked all week long, saying this was going to be like Sugar Ray Leonard against Roberto Duran. It is going to be a dog fight, and it certainly was."
The Packers – with new head coach Manuel Spreigl – were the better offense early. Although they weren’t getting into scoring position, quarterback
Alonzo Dodd
Alonzo
Dodd
6'2" | ATH
South St. Paul | 2022
State
MN
was running the option offense well, but outside of winning the field position battle, the Cadets’ defense bent but didn’t break.
STA got the first big break of the game when South St. Paul lined up to punt, and a high snap gave the Cadets the ball near the red zone. They would pick up one first down, but that was it. They had to settle for a Seth Moore 24-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.
STA made another special team’s play to set up another scoring opportunity. They ran a fake punt on 4th, and 9 and Mark Rogalski converted to the tune of a twenty-yard gain. In a preview of what would start working later in the game, running back
Savion Hart
Savion
Hart
6'0" | 190 lbs | RB
St. Thomas Academy | 2024
State
MN
– who was filling in for the expected starting running back – began to find room between the tackles. The interior line of Emmett O’Keef, Rekhi McKinley, and Dillon Lynch opened some running lanes and helped the offense work the ball into the red zone again. But again, the Packers’ defense came up big, and this time, the Cadets would miss a field goal keeping the score at 3-0.
South St. Paul threatened to take the lead late in the first half, but the Cadets’ defense ended up forcing the Packers out of the red zone and forced SSP into a fourth and long that they could not convert.
The third quarter was much of the same – the defenses dominated the play. The Cadets got the Packers’ offense going in reverse – forcing a punt from their goal line. A short punt gave the Cadets excellent field position, but it looked like the Packers’ defense – who had been put in tough spots all game – was going to get off the field again. Facing a fourth and six, Lopez turned a draw play into a first down.
"We didn’t give up hope," Lopez – who was bottled up in the first half but ended with over 100 yards rushing – said. "It was going to be a struggle in the beginning. We struggled in the beginning, but we knew we could pick it up. The is the team we are."
Two Lopez runs up the middle resulted in a first and goal. After pounding the Packers up the middle, Lopez bounced a run to the outside and scored the game’s first touchdown.
"We started running power and running iso plays – things we usually do well," O’Brien said.
Down ten, unable to generate any long drives and running out of time, the Packers faced a 4th and 1 deep in their own territory, rolled the dice, and went for it. The Packers would roll snake eyes as STA defensive lineman Vincent Mueller got penetration, and the play didn’t have a chance because of the junior.
"Our defense is young," O’Brien admitted. "We returned three starters on offense and three on defense. We played a lot of bend but don’t break. I thought we matched their physicality."
One play later, the Cadets put the game away with Lopez’s second touchdown run of the game. The two-point conversion would make the score 18-0.
The only big mistake the Cadets made all game came on the very next play. Dodd took the kickoff back 88 yards to get the Packers on the board.
Up by twelve, the Cadets had to punt the ball back to the Packers, but fittingly, the Cadet defense made one more stop to ice away the 18-6 opening night win.
Savion
Hart
6'0" | 190 lbs | RB
St. Thomas Academy | 2024
State
MN
– who was filling in for the expected starting running back – began to find room between the tackles. The interior line of Emmett O’Keef, Rekhi McKinley, and Dillon Lynch opened some running lanes and helped the offense work the ball into the red zone again. But again, the Packers’ defense came up big, and this time, the Cadets would miss a field goal keeping the score at 3-0.
South St. Paul threatened to take the lead late in the first half, but the Cadets’ defense ended up forcing the Packers out of the red zone and forced SSP into a fourth and long that they could not convert.
The third quarter was much of the same – the defenses dominated the play. The Cadets got the Packers’ offense going in reverse – forcing a punt from their goal line. A short punt gave the Cadets excellent field position, but it looked like the Packers’ defense – who had been put in tough spots all game – was going to get off the field again. Facing a fourth and six, Lopez turned a draw play into a first down.
"We didn’t give up hope," Lopez – who was bottled up in the first half but ended with over 100 yards rushing – said. "It was going to be a struggle in the beginning. We struggled in the beginning, but we knew we could pick it up. The is the team we are."
Two Lopez runs up the middle resulted in a first and goal. After pounding the Packers up the middle, Lopez bounced a run to the outside and scored the game’s first touchdown.
"We started running power and running iso plays – things we usually do well," O’Brien said.
Down ten, unable to generate any long drives and running out of time, the Packers faced a 4th and 1 deep in their own territory, rolled the dice, and went for it. The Packers would roll snake eyes as STA defensive lineman Vincent Mueller got penetration, and the play didn’t have a chance because of the junior.
"Our defense is young," O’Brien admitted. "We returned three starters on offense and three on defense. We played a lot of bend but don’t break. I thought we matched their physicality."
One play later, the Cadets put the game away with Lopez’s second touchdown run of the game. The two-point conversion would make the score 18-0.
The only big mistake the Cadets made all game came on the very next play. Dodd took the kickoff back 88 yards to get the Packers on the board.
Up by twelve, the Cadets had to punt the ball back to the Packers, but fittingly, the Cadet defense made one more stop to ice away the 18-6 opening night win.
