Bruins shock No. 3 ranked Comets

ST. BEDE — Midfield resembled a patch of Illinois River wetlands. Footing was better for an elephant on roller skates, and there was enough mud to build an adobe high rise.

Despite the miserable field conditions, rain and mud, the St. Bede Bruins and Sterling Newman Catholic Comets played a finger-pruned nail-biter at St. Bede Academy Friday night.

An illegal man downfield penalty with 53 seconds remaining in regulation nullified a game-tying Newman eight-yard touchdown pass, and the rain, mud and swamp-like conditions worked as the 12th, 13th and 14th men for the Bruin defense in a 6-0 SBA victory over the Comets, who are ranked No. 3 in Class 3A.

The Bruins first win of the 2008 season is their first against Newman since 2000.

A Bruin fumble, which was recovered by New-man’s Phil Wahl, deep in SBA territory with 3:51 remaining in the game gave the Comets a chance for a game-tying score.

On a fourth-down and goal situation inside the 10-yard line with under a minute to play, Newman quarterback Dugan Repass flipped a down-the-middle pass to back Ryan Gilbert, but as the Comet crossed the goal line, an official's flag flew through the rain. The call was illegal man downfield against the Comets, and the would-be touchdown was taken off the Academy scoreboard.

“I thought we had them down there at the end,” Sterling coach Mike Papoccia said. “Even when we hit a perfect play finally on them, we made a mistake.”

A fourth down pass into the end zone was knocked down by the Bruin defense - a defense that has now allowed six or fewer points in two of the three Big Rivers conference games played this season by SBA.

“I think we were fortunate (to score) before the field really got messed up, but our defense played exceptionally well,” St. Bede coach John Bellino said. “Our defense has played hard all year; when we get our offense going, we’re going to be tough.”

Three straight Comet fumbles fell into Bruin hands in the first half, and one Newman miscue resulted in the game’s only score. With Newman starting at its own 20-yard line in a pouring rain, SBA’s Nick Hueneburg fell on a Comet fumble with 5:11 remaining in the first quarter. A Newman pass interference penalty advanced the waterlogged pigskin to the Newman nine, and on the next play, Bruin running back Adam Schwei-ckert rumbled off the left side for a nine-yard touchdown.