St. Anne’s rolls past VES

Two weeks ago in their home opener, the St. Anne’s-Belfield football team struggled through a scoreless first half, only to score 28 unanswered points en route to a lopsided victory over Trinity Episcopal. On Friday night, the Saints employed a similar technique, scoring 26 second-half points on their way to a 26-7 win against Virginia Episcopal.

Coming off a tough 31-7 loss to St. Christopher’s a week ago, the Saints (2-3) aimed for a better start against VES. However, a sloppy first half marred with three turnovers found St. Anne’s trailing 7-0 at the break.

“I don’t really know what to say about it,” said St. Anne’s coach John Blake. “I wish I knew the answer, but we have got to come up with a better first half.”

Following a stern halftime lecture, the Saints wasted no time in leading a crisp scoring drive to open the second half. After a pair of first downs gave STAB the ball in VES territory, senior tailback Aaron Clark took a handoff and raced 45 yards down the right side for a touchdown to bring the score to 7-6.

Sensing a shift in momentum, coach Blake called for an onside kick, which the Saints recovered on the VES 47-yard line. Two plays later, Clark came up with another touchdown run, this time from 17 yards out, giving

St. Anne’s its first lead of the game at 12-7 with just over seven minutes left in the third quarter.

“Coach Blake said we were having too many breakdowns on the line, we were making too many mistakes,” Clark said. “Luckily, the line really stepped it up in the second half and we were able to make some plays.”

Clark was instrumental in the Saints’ second-half comeback, accounting for 178 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 30 carries.

“In the first half, we were just taking what they were giving us,” stated Blake. “But in the second half, we basically just made the decision that we were going to run it, and that’s when we were able to have some success offensively.”

After the Saints’ defense held the Bishops (0-5) to one of many three-and-outs on the night, STAB sophomore quarterback Jacob Rainey connected with Will McGhee for a 14-yard touchdown pass to give St. Anne’s a decisive 19-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter. McGhee would add another score in the fourth quarter.