It was only the second play from scrimmage after the opening kickoff, but it had a profound impact on St. Anne’s-Belfield’s 47-23 win over Covenant Friday night.
“That’s not how you want that game to start,” said Covenant coach Dave Hart. “They’ve got some really special athletes and they’re going to get big plays, but you hope they don’t start with a big play.”
STAB defensive back Kareem Johnson has been trying lately to go for the ball more, to attack the ball carrier and try and manufacture fumbles.
“I’ve been watching NFL players and one play in particular I was watching Kam Chancellor stripping the ball,” Johnson said. “Lately I’ve been trying to do that any time I see the ball out in front of me…using a punch and then stripping it out.”
He saw that kind of opportunity on that second play, reached down and snatched the ball away from the Covenant ball carrier. In a split second, the Eagles went from gaining a first down on just their second play to a turnover. STAB immediately capitalized with Javon Johnson breaking off a 58-yard touchdown on the first play after the fumble. Just like that, STAB was up 6-0.
“Kareem did a lot of great things tonight,” said STAB coach John Blake.
STAB eventually built a 21-0 halftime lead, with two short Jalen Harrison runs providing the scoring. Harrison finished with four rushing touchdowns and one through the air, a second half screen pass to Johnson that Johnson took 79 yards to the house. That play put STAB up 33-0 late in the third quarter and Johnson flashed another gear as he pulled away for the touchdown.
“That was more just being excited that we finished off that play,” Johnson said. “We’ve been practicing that all week and we’ve failed two times doing that in games but that time, once I caught it I just turned the gear on and I had to get by everybody.”
Harrison put on a show throughout, including a particularly slick first down pass in the second quarter where he rolled to his left, hit the brakes near the sideline and made a leaping pass to Campbell Miller who found a way to get open at the last possible second.
“I’m so glad Jalen plays for me,” Blake said. “He is such a dynamic athlete, the things he can do — and we’re just touching the surface here, we’ve been doing this for three or four weeks with him — if we can finally get him settled in and get him really comfortable and his feet settled in in the next couple of weeks, he’s pretty darn dangerous. He knows all the reads, he studies film well, it was just about him getting a chance to do it a few times.”
That 33-0 third quarter lead helped STAB play some of its less-experienced players in a varsity game situation, which is a big boost considering the fact that the Saints don’t have a junior varsity program. For his part, Johnson was thrilled to see the reserves get a chance to play.
“Watching those guys is a lot of fun, they work hard in practice, they play against us and when we finally get to see them go out it’s a lot of fun,” Johnson said.
Covenant refused to go away quietly though, scoring all 23 of their points in the fourth quarter including a John Huemme touchdown pass with 18 seconds to play.
“I was proud of our guys, they did not give up,” Hart said. “No disrespect to the teams we’ve had in the past but it might’ve been one of the first times I’ve seen that in this game, we just didn’t give up.”
Weaver finished with 109 yards on the ground and a blocked extra point.
For STAB, Kareem Johnson finished with 124 yards receiving on three catches. Harrison was 8-for-14 for 269 yards including an 84-yard catch and run by Joe Robertson that helped set up one of Harrison’s four rushing touchdowns
Cameron Carr actually led the Saints in rushing with 96 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter as he helped STAB close the door on any dreams of a miracle comeback by the Eagles.
The Saints retired Kyle Long’s No. 58 jersey at halftime of the game. STAB will host Virginia Episcopal next week Friday night at 7 p.m. Covenant will travel to face North Cross Friday night.
