Tom Dodge
The Blue Jays grabbed control of the game early as St. Edmund jumped out to a 38-0 halftime advantage and finished with a 45-12 win over Hanson Memorial.
“It is always good to win the first one,” St. Edmund head coach Andy Hargroder said. “We had a good beginning on offense, defense and special teams.
“We needed to get somemomentum heading in the rivalry war with Sacred Heart,” the Blue Jay coach said.
The St. Edmund defense stood firm in the game’s opening drive, sacking the Hanson quarterback twice to force a punt from the Tiger 4.
Jack Miller returned the kick 32 yards for the touchdown. The PAT fialed but the Jays held a 6-0 lead with 9:22 left in the first quarter.
After forcing Hanson to punt on the second possession, it took the Jays just one play to answer as Brad Miller raced 56 yards for the score.
The kick failed, but the Jays led 12-0 with 8:07 remaining in the quarter.
Hanson was forced to punt again and the Jays moved the ball 52 yards in five plays.
Brad Miller, Brock Bieber and Jack Miller all had good runs on the drive.
Carter Lejeune capped the series with a 14-yard scoring run. The PAT failed, but the Jays led 18-0 with 1:23 left in the period.
Hanson was forced to punt again and the Jays’ next drive started near midfield eary in the second period,
Brad Miller connected with Kaden Fontenot for a 32-yard pass on a key play of the drive.
After two runs by Bieber, Brad Fontenot finished with a 7-yard run.
Peyton Marcantel’s kick pushed the Jays ahead, 25-0 with 9:48 left in the half.
The St. Edmund defense responded on the next Hanson possession when Jack Miller picked on a Tiger pass to give the Jays the ball back.
The 29-yard drive was sparked by a 21-yard run by Jack Miller and a face mask penalty moved the Jays to the Hanson 5.
Two plays later, Bieber scored on a two-yard run. The PAT failed, but the Jays led 31-0 with 5:54 left before intermission.
The St. Edmund defense continued to shine as Wesley Driggs scored on a 42-yard interception return.
Marcantel’s kick pushed the Jays ahead, 38-0 with 4:49 left in the second period.
St. Edmund took the second half kickoff and moved 43 yards in just six plays, capped by a 14-yard touchdown run by Jack Miller.
Marcantel’s kick increased the Jays’ lead to 45-0 with 7:30 left in the third period.
Hanson mounted its best drive of the contest, capping the 11-play drive on the first play of the fourth quarter when Stephen Rosamond found Brandon Loustalt open for a 19-yard touchdown strike.
The two-point conversion pass attempt was intercepted, but Hanson closed the gap to 45-6 with 11:43 left in the game.
St. Edmund responded with a time-consuming possession, moving inside the Tigers 15 before a fourth down fumble halted the drive.
Hanson took just three plays to move 90 yards as Collin Faucheaux connected with Pierce Hanagriff for a 81-yard touchdown with 2:20 left.
After the two-point conversion failed, St. Edmund sealed the 45-12 win.