Despite a productive night from Thomas Harry on the ground, St. Anne’s-Belfield fell 50-26 to Faith Christian in Rocky Mount, N.C. in the Saints’ season opener Friday night.
Faith Christian slowly pulled away from the Saints, outscoring STAB 22-6 in the second half thanks to Shaikey Hardy’s 174 yards and four total touchdowns. The Saints pulled within 10 with 1:03 left in the third quarter when Amani Woods ripped off a 70-yard kick return for a touchdown, but couldn’t get any closer as Faith Christian capitalized on a fourth quarter interception and forced a turnover on downs with 4:35 left to play that snuffed any hopes of a STAB comeback.
The Saints fell into an 8-0 hole when Hardy scored from 10 yards out midway through the first quarter and couldn’t manage to climb out of the hole.
Harry piled up 205 yards and a score on the ground on just 16 touches, spearheading an offense that finished with 355 total yards.
Chase Holden came up with three tackles for a loss on the night while Gabe Decker led the Saints with 5.5 total tackles.
Faith Christian’s Chase Johnson finished with 12.5 total tackles, 10 of them solo stops. Offensively, Zach Warrick finished with 131 yards on three catches, the bulk of it on a 77-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Quarterback Sam Mills went 4-for-9 for 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Saints will host Covenant in their home opener 7 p.m.
