SLUH football won its second game in a row last Friday night, building off of their victory against Vashon a week prior with a beatdown of MCC rival Vianney 49-14. Despite the cold and rainy conditions, the Jr. Bills scored at will through the air to even out their MCC record at 1-1. 

        SLUH started with possession and quickly took advantage of Vianney's weak secondary as junior quarterback Marco Sansone picked apart the defense from the air. Senior running back Kam Bailey also got some action cutting upfield, which positioned the Jr. Bills to take the lead on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Sansone to junior receiver Joe Harris. 

The Jr. Bills finally showed some defensive strength early in the game as they stopped Vianney from gaining a first down on the first drive in part due to a huge sack on fourth down by freshman Keenan Harris. This set up amazing field position for the SLUH offense and they once again scored, this time on a 16-yard pass to junior receiver Ryan Wingo with 1:45 left in the first quarter. 

Vianney came back the other way with a long return but was stopped short of moving the chains twice by senior linebacker Dillion Ramella. The Griffins once again went for it on fourth down but the ball fell incomplete to return possession to the Jr. Bills. 

On offense, SLUH faced a third and 7 before being bailed out by senior tight end Zach Ortwerth, who caught a pass over the middle in an impressive acrobatic effort. On the following play, Sansone delivered a 44-yard bomb downfield to sophomore tight end Landon Pace, who dodged defenders on his way to the end zone for the SLUH’s third touchdown. 

The Griffins started the next drive with momentum due to some poor tackling from the Jr. Bills but eventually gave up the ball on another failed fourth down conversion as junior defensive end Vince Chappuis came up clutch with a sack. 

The Jr. Bills continued their dominance with a long run by senior running back Kam Bailey and a subsequent 12-yard touchdown to Joe Harris that increased the SLUH lead to 28-0. The Jr. Bills’ offense quickly gained back possession as Vianney struggled and, eventually, on a 3rd and 9, Ramella picked off the ball and set SLUH up with a 22-yard return to the 12-yard line. It only took one play for the Jr. Bills to make it into the end zone as John Smith carried it in to increase the SLUH lead to 35-0. 

“We had lots of good shots downfield and I was really able to spread the ball around,” said Sansone. “Our guys ran some really good routes and I didn’t get touched all game due to the work of our O-line.”

The Griffins would strike back with their first lengthy drive of the game, aided by a couple of third down conversions and penalties on the SLUH defense. Senior defensive end Matt Barnes came up big with a few huge tackles to stall their drive, but a long third down completion set the Griffins up in scoring position.

With less than a minute left in the half, Vianney lined up for a third and goal only 6 yards away from the end zone. The quarterback dropped back and lofted the ball into the end zone, where senior cornerback Trey Smith came down with it and to record his second interception of the season. 

After four consecutive weeks of slow starts, the Jr. Bills finally put together a series of successful first drives which the scoreboard reflected as they took a 35-0 lead into halftime. As a result of the MSHSAA mercy-rule, the clock did not stop for the rest of the game because of SLUH’s 35-point lead. 

Vianney started with possession after halftime and came out firing. Due to some electric plays by their receivers they were able to claw their way downfield for a touchdown, ending SLUH’s shutout. With only a few minutes remaining in the quarter, Jr. Bills responded with ease as they quickly drove down field with a long completion to receiver Jacobi Oliphant, followed by a 25-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Jordan Taylor, the first of his SLUH football career. 

On the subsequent drive, the Griffins again found success against the Jr. Bills’ defense as a long completion over the middle of the field set them up within the red zone. SLUH failed to stop Vianney once again as they converted on fourth and goal for their second touchdown of the game. 

The Jr. Bills again looked to increase their lead in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter and they found success as a blatant pass inference on Ortwerth set them up with good position within the red zone. Two runs by Bailey sealed the deal as he carried the Jr. Bills into the end zone for their seventh touchdown of the night. Vianney’s last drive was stuffed by the SLUH defense as the freshman duo of Taylor and Keenan Harris came up strong and forced the first punt of the game. The Jr. Bills ran out the clock to advance to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the MCC.

“We started off fast, thankfully,” said head coach Adam Cruz. “There’s still some things we need to clean up, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but I like how we got a lot of different guys involved. We only ran 25 plays on offense the entire game and we were still able to put the ball in different guys' hands to move forward.”

SLUH scored with ease throughout the game, with many scoring drives consisting of only a few plays. Sansone finished the game 9 for 19 passing for 189 yards and 4 touchdowns. Bailey finished as the leading rusher with 11 attempts for 112 yards and a rushing touchdown. Joe Harris finished as the leading receiver with his three receptions going for 69 yards and 2 touchdowns. Additionally, the offensive line had one of its best showings all season which led to a very efficient offensive showing. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Ramella once again led the team in total tackles with 11; he also added an interception and a sack. The defensive front also came up big with sacks from senior defensive end Jaylen Morris, junior defensive tackle Virshaun Mosely, and Chappuis. 

“We were physical up front and we did what we were supposed to do, ” said senior Matthew Barnes. “This was a statement game for the rest of the city that SLUH football is back.” 

        SLUH got the win, but not without a price, as senior linebacker and captain Louis Kertz—a leader on the defensive front—partially tore his MCL during the game. His recovery is going well so far but the Jr. Billikens will be without the All-State linebacker for three to four weeks. The latter would mean a return week one of playoffs. 

        “He really is the heart and soul of our defense,” said Ortwerth.  “We're gonna miss him and the rest of our unit will need to step up with him gone.”

        Tonight, SLUH takes on the Spartans of De Smet, who are reeling after a 41-28 loss to fellow MCC powerhouse CBC. After trailing the Cadets 28-7 at halftime, De Smet clawed their way back thanks in part to their senior quarterback Christian Cotton. The Jr. Bills have not beaten the Spartans in five years and will be looking to cement their standing within the MCC. After five weeks, De Smet also finds themselves at 2-3 and will be eager to make a statement against the Jr. Bills under the Friday night lights on Oakland Avenue. To prevent this, SLUH will have to tighten up their passing defense to limit big plays and utilize an efficient play action offense.

        “We need to contain Christian Cotton. He went off against us last year for six touchdowns,” said Cruz. “They’ve got a very talented team, especially with their defensive line and back end. We’re just going to have to stack our strengths against their weaknesses and make plays when we’re called upon.”

        “It would mean a lot to come out and beat De Smet,” said Wingo. “Especially since I played badly against them last year so I just have to have a good game.”