Big plays, defense help SBA snag first victory
PERU — The St. Bede Bruins can collectively take a bow, and some Bruins came back for an encore on both sides of the line of scrimmage Friday night against the visiting Ottawa Marquette Crusaders.
While notching their first victory of the 2009 season, Bruins Kevin King, Adam Schweickert, Paul Perona and Ryne Denis earned glowing reviews in SBA’s 20-14 win at the Academy.
King could take a curtain call bow for igniting the Bruin offense with a pair of big play touchdowns while Schweickert bruised and bumped for 97 rushing yards and a huge first down run in the closing two minutes to deny the Crusaders one last possession to tie or win the Big Rivers conference game.
Perona warranted a bravo call for a third quarter touchdown catch and two quarterback sacks, and Denis launched two TD passes while throwing for 104 yards.
“Ryne Denis threw the ball very, very well tonight; they had 11 guys up in the box on us, and Adam Schweickert came back and ran like Adam Schweickert could,” said St. Bede coach John Bellino about two of his offensive tools that combined for 209 yards. “Our offensive line worked a little harder, as well.”
After OMHS dominated the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter - the first quarter time of possession favored Marquette by more than eight minutes- King lit a fire under the St. Bede offense. Trailing 6-0 after OMHS’ running back Jared Jessen 3-yard plunge for the game’s opening score, King sprinted 55 yards on a counter, misdirection play for SBA’s first touchdown. After Austin Yoon’s extra-point kick, the Bruins never trailed.
With 18 seconds remaining in the first half, Denis shrugged off a Marquette blitz and connected with King in stride for a 49-yard visit to paydirt. At the half, SBA led Marquette 14-6.
“That (touchdown pass) was against one-on-one coverage,” Bellino said. “They had nobody in the middle of the field. I thought Adam Boggio did a good job getting out and blocking for King tonight (on King’s end runs).”
The victory wasn’t without a price. Four Bruins sustained injuries as Boggio, Mario Giacomini, Alex Niewinski and Dan Rucinski missed time or did not return to action.
“We lost three defensive players in the first half,” Bellino said. “That was tough, but our defense again played very, very well.”
To start the second half, Schweickert helped to set-up SBA’s third score with rushes of 10 and 30 yards, and five and a half minutes after the second half kickoff, Denis found Perona in the east endzone for a 14-yard touchdown pass. The Crusaders did manage a score with 4:51 remaining in the game, but a big third quarter Cru turnover at the SBA goal line on a quarterback sneak call turned the Crusaders away without any points.
For Marquette, Blake Poundstone led all rushers with 133 yards.
