Instant Replay: St. Edmond Solves Bishop Garrigan

Dana Becker

October 2, 2021 @ 10:25 PM

One of the more storied small-class rivalries had a new feel this past Friday night. Long-time foes St. Edmond and Bishop Garrigan met in eight-player football for the first time, with the Gaels scoring a 38-20 victory to spoil Homecoming for the Golden Bears. Following a series of tough losses, Matt Dillon's St. Edmond team found a spark, earning the second win of the year. For the veteran head coach, it was his 200th career win in the high school ranks, as Dillon also led West Des Moines Dowling to a pair of state championships. Here are four MVPs from St. Edmond's win over Bishop Garrigan: JT Laufersweiler - St. Edmond - QB/DB - 6-0 - 150 A sophomore, JT Laufersweiler continues to show improvement game-by-game. Since coming in for Caleb Schaeffer following an injury, Laufersweiler has provided a nice dual-threat spark to the Gael offense. During a key second half run by St. Edmond, Laufersweiler directed three scoring drives, taking one in himself with his exceptional field vision. Darting up the sidelines, Laufersweiler showed incredible poise and quickness, breaking free for a touchdown. He also displayed excellent placement on a short TD pass to Schaeffer, and hit both Johnny Dickerson and Quinton McCarville on scoring strikes. Laufersweiler threw for 137 yards, completing 10 of 15 passes without an interception. Johnny Dickerson - St. Edmond - WR/DB - 6-1 - 175 While he had just two catches for 24 yards - with one being a touchdown - it was the "other" things Johnny Dickerson did that stood out this week. A big-play threat in the passing game, Dickerson showed that he can also handle blocking duties of a wide receiver, twice springing his teammates for touchdown runs. Dickerson also had a nice interception on defense while keeping the Bishop Garrigan passing attack down. He kept St. Edmond from starting with bad field position by handling punts in less-than-ideal weather, and also was involved in several special teams tackles. Caleb Schaeffer - St. Edmond - RB/DB - 6-0 - 175 With JT Laufersweiler settling in at quarterback, it appears as if St. Edmond has found a new home for Caleb Schaeffer, and not a moment to late. Schaeffer, who returns following an injury a few weeks back, slotted in at wingback and carried the ball nine times for almost 80 yards with a score. Getting Schaeffer on the outside with sweeps and quick tosses gave the Gael offense a speed threat they had been lacking in that department. Schaeffer also has a strong ability to fall forward, picking up positive yards even when there isn't much there to gain. Aidan Hovey - Bishop Garrigan - TE/DE - 6-1 - 185 The Bishop Garrigan offense has been hit hard by the injury bug, especially at quarterback. However, it is easy to see that the Golden Bears have a nice weapon in Aidan Hovey. Hovey came alive in the second half, catching four passes for 56 yards, including a nice 10-yard touchdown catch. He is a big, strong receiver with enough speed to get separation from the defender.