by The St. Edward Eagles (14-1) used suffocating defense and a solid rushing attack to take down the Hilliard Bradley Jaguars (13-2) 26-3 in a Division I semifinal at Arlin Field in Mansfield. Sophomore RB Brandon White rushed for 217 yards and three scores, while the Eagles defense held the Jaguars to just 102 yards in the game, an average of 2.4 yards per play.
White Early and Often
St. Edward received the opening kickoff, and it looked like they would march right down the field until White fumbled the ball on the Jaguars 20, giving Hilliard Bradley the ball. As would be the case all night, the Eagles forced a three-and-out and got the ball back on their 39-yard line. White would redeem himself ten plays later with a 3-yard plunge to put St. Edward up 7-0 early.
After forcing a second consecutive three-and-out on defense, the Eagles would themselves turn it over on downs, giving Bradley the ball back near midfield. The Jaguars would work their way down to the St. Edward eight-yard line, but a big sack by Bradley Eaton on third down would force a 35-yard field goal by Jake Walter to draw Bradley closer at 7-3 early in the second quarter.
The Eagles would respond in a big way, putting together a 14-play drive that saw White tote the rock nine times, the final carry being a one-yard run to put St. Edward up 14-3 late in the second. The Jaguars would try for one more score before the half, but Xavier Styles picked off QB Declan O’Neil to end the half.
Defense, Defense, Defense
Bradley received the second-half kickoff and was instantly forced to punt. On their third play of the drive, QB Casey Bullock found Zach Hacklemen for a huge 38-yard completion. This time, the Jaguars defense held, forcing a 34-yard field goal from Kellen Moyer to extend the Eagles’ lead to 17-3.
St. Edward’s next drive started in Bradley territory, but once again, the defense was able to get a stop but could not keep the Eagles off the scoreboard as Moyer hit a 32-yard field goal to make the score 20-3 late in the third quarter.
Bradley’s offense could not get anything going again, punting the ball back to St. Edward to end the quarter. Starting on their own 17, the Eagles would get on the board again, putting together a 10-play, 83-yard drive capped off by a 12-yard run from Brandon White, his third touchdown of the game, stretching the St. Edward lead to 26-3 midway through the fourth.
The Eagles would turn to their backup offense from that point, as both squads traded punts and QB Thomas Csyani took two knees to seal the 26-3 victory for St. Edward, sending them to the Division I Championship game where they will look for their third consecutive title.
Keys to the Game
St. Edward’s defense was suffocating Friday night, forcing three-and-outs on seven of Bradley’s nine drives and allowing just 102 total yards. QB Declan O’Neil had little time to operate as the Eagles’ defense busted through the line on nearly every play. Troy Regovich and Padraig McMahon lived in the Jaguars’ backfield, each finishing with 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Offensively, it is hard to have a better game than RB Brandon White. The sophomore carried the ball 40 times for 217 yards and three scores, most of which came between the tackles. He also hauled in both targets from QB Casey Bullock for another 28 yards.
Next Week
The St. Edward Eagles are heading to the Division I Championship for the third straight season. As the Eagles look to three-peat, they will meet a familiar foe in the Springfield Wildcats (10-5), whom they defeated 28-14 in last year’s title game. The Wildcats advanced to Friday night’s title game with a thrilling 26-19 victory over Archbishop Moeller.
Top Performers
St. Edward Eagles
Brandon White: 40 carries 217 yards 3 TD 2 catches 28 yards
Casey Bullock: 4-12 86 yards 6 carries 35 yards
Zach Hackleman: 1 catch 38 yards
Kellen Moyer: 2-2 FG 2-3 XP
Hilliard Bradley Jaguars
Declan O’Neil: 12-24 101 yards 15 carries 0 yards
Tre Paules: 4 catches 65 yards
Drew Williams: 4 catches 16 yards
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
St. Edward 3:06- Brandon White, 3-yard run (Moyer kick good)
2nd Quarter
Hilliard Bradley 8:25- Jake Walter, 35-yard field goal
St. Edward 3:44- Brandon White, 1-yard run (Moyer kick good)
3rd Quarter
St. Edward 6:31- Kellen Moyer, 34-yard field goal
St. Edward 2:23- Kellen Moyer, 32-yard field goal
4th Quarter
St. Edward 7:24- Brandon White, 12-yard run (xp no good)
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | FINAL | |
| St. Edward | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 26 |
| Hilliard Bradley | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
