Saints defend title behind dominant defense
Wicks, Marshall, Blair back up ‘D’ with touchdowns
It took about half the season for the St. Mary’s football team to emerge as Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference contenders, so it only made sense that it took just past a half for the Saints to take charge at Good Counsel High on Sunday night.
Alex Wicks and Marcus Marshall each scored on the ground, Dhane Blair added another score through the air and the Saints defense was dominant as St. Mary’s defeated St. Vincent Pallotti, 21-7, to win its second consecutive B Conference title.
“I did not think wewere going to be here at the beginning; it was a young team with a lot of growing up to do and so many different positions that had to step up,” St. Mary’s coach Jason Budroni said. “But as we started playing and they did not give up, I thought we had a chance to do this. The whole thing this year was ‘to be the man, you gotta beat the man.’ That’s what we did.”
The Panthers (6-5) shut out St. Mary’s in the rain two weeks ago, 14-0. That ended a five-game winning streak, but Budroni came out of that contest feeling good about his team’s chances if they met again.
“Pallotti is a good team, but we felt like, coming off that field two weeks ago, we could beat them,” Budroni said.
The first half spoke to the defensive prowess of both teams. Pallotti punted three times and turned the ball over on downs three times. St. Mary’s (8-3) was not successful either. They turned the ball over on downs, punted and missed a 43-yard field goal attempt.
On their fourth drive, the Saints started moving. Wicks had three runs for 34 yards, including two rushes for first downs. On his fourth rush, Pallotti stripped the ball and Osei Dixon returned it 74 yards for the score. Pallotti led 7-0 at the half.
“We know we are a second-half team and that it would come down to second half leadership,” defensive lineman Quinn Donoway said. “We knew what they were going to do on offense.”
The Saints were in the hole to start the second half when Julian Ganthier intercepted Golini on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, putting Pallotti at the 20-yard line of the St. Mary’s. Two holding penalties, two short runs and two incomplete passes later and the Panthers had turned the ball over on downs. Again. Pallotti was hurt badly by the flags all night. They had at least a dozen for more than 100 yards in losses.
“We came out in the second half and played behind the sticks with penalties every series,” Pallotti coach Tony Ashley said. “They mounted up and it just took us out of the game. There is a big difference between second-and-3 and first-and-20. You cannot come to a championship game, have turnovers, play behind the sticks and expect to win the game.”
The Saints used that hold as momentum and responded with a 13-play, 73-yard drive that took more than five minutes off the clock. Aided by two face mask penalties against Pallotti, Wicks evened the game at seven with a four-yard touchdown run.
“Alex is a great example,” Budroni said. He is a tough kid and does not get phased. He fumbled. It is what it is. He came back and finished strong. That is what we do here.”
The Saints smelled blood in the water and pursued. Pallotti only managed five yards on its next possession, and only managed a seven-yard net on its punt. Marcus Marshall responded immediately, bulling through the middle, weaving to the left and then scampering into the end zone for a 36-yard go-ahead score.
“Our defense has played great all year,” Budroni said. “Without a doubt, it is the best defense in the conference. Our defense does not bend. We leaned on them when we needed them.”