Most area prep football teams got their seasons underway last weekend. But St. Anne’s-Belfield had to wait a week to roll out an offense dominated by new faces.
The good news was that their home fans didn’t have to wait long for a touchdown, as the Saints scored not even two minutes into their season and never trailed en route to a 32-27 win over visiting Hargrave Military Academy Friday night.
The Saints got a huge effort on the ground from the duo of Jaylen Alexander and Juwan Woodson. Alexander, a freshman, scored two first-half touchdowns to propel STAB to a 26-13 lead at the break. Quarterback Thomas Harry, in a platoon with Chase Emmert, tossed a pair of scores in the half as well.
The first of those came before most fans had even settled down into their seats, as Harry hit Isaiah Kilby-Sharp from 35 yards out. But the Tigers struck right back on their first offensive play from scrimmage as Darrell Smith hit Connor Rogers for a 60-yard score. It was one of two touchdown catches by Rogers, as he hauled in a 20-yarder on Hargrave’s next possession to trim the deficit to 14-13 after Alexander’s first touchdown had put STAB back in front.
“That first quarter took a lot out of us,” STAB head coach John Blake said. “I think it affected [Hargrave] too. We had about five or six kids cramping.”
The Saints’ defense took over in the third quarter, getting two crucial turnovers in their own territory to thwart potential Hargrave scoring drives. Myles Ward picked off a Smith pass and took it back to the Tiger 35, and on the next possession the Saints recovered a fumble. Ward entered the game after the Saints’ defensive backs had struggled to contain Hargrave’s receiving corps.
“Coach put me in there and just told me to make a play,” Ward said.
Hargrave made things interesting in the last few minutes, pulling to within 26-20 with 3:37 remaining when Smith hit Riggs Jordan for a 12-yard touchdown pass. But STAB’s Jack Byrne fell on the ensuing onside kick and Ward took a direct snap and broke off a 55-yard touchdown run three plays later to effectively seal it for the Saints. Ward was also the recipient of Harry’s second touchdown pass back in the second quarter as part of a big night on both sides of the ball.
“I think having guys who can play two ways is huge,” Blake said. “We learned a lot about ourselves tonight, and about some of the things we need to take care of for next week, hopefully we can take care of them. But for us to come out and start with a win is huge”
The Saints’ hands team came up big again after Smith’s fourth touchdown pass of the game, a 77-yarder to Naheed John with 1:45 to go to account for the final margin. This time Emmert fell in the ball, and STAB ran out the clock.
“I love this group,” Blake said. “They’re some athletes. It’s fun coaching these guys. Some of the things Juwan did, some of the things Jaylen did, some of the things Myles did, they were huge for us tonight.”
Harry, who played the whole second half, finished five 5-for-10 for 121 yards and a pair of scores. Alexander carried 10 times for 128 yards, while Woodson had 82 yards on 17 carries for the Saints.
STAB returns to action next Friday when it hosts Randolph-Macon at 7 p.m.
