Video: Top 10 Games of the Week The St. Frances-Central tilt — picked as the No. 2 game of the week — wasn't as close as expected.
It's hard to know if coach Henry Russell and his
St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) football team watch the scoreboard.
The Panthers are the second-ranked team in the nation according to MaxPreps and the only team to look up at is 3,000 miles away on the other coast, the
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) Monarchs.
On Friday, Mater Dei more than lived up its top billing, racing to a 42-0 lead over the nation's 12th-ranked team Centennial (Corona) en route to a 42-12 victory.
On Saturday, St. Frances had an even bigger challenge, at ninth-ranked
Central (Miami, Fla.).
These Panthers kept up with the Monarchs and then some, as Michigan-bound running back
Blake Corum rushed for 105 yards and scored four touchdowns in a 49-13 victory at Traz Powell Stadium before an ESPNU audience.
St. Frances running back Blake Corum rushed for 105 yards and scored four touchdowns.
Photo by Daniel Galarza
It was the 24th straight win overall for the Panthers.
Corum rushed for two touchdowns and hauled in two scoring tosses from sophomore quarterback
John Griffith, who added a 20-yard TD pass to
Denylon Morrissette.
The St. Frances defense was extremely active and impressive, especially five-star defensive lineman
Chris Braswell, who was part of four sacks against Central quarterback Katravis Marsh.
One of his pressures forced an interception by
Luke Hill, who turned into a 25-yard pick six.
Down 23-0, Central fought back with a 4-yard touchdown run by
Amari Daniels (13 carries, 89 yards rushing). But the Panthers answered right back with a 13-yard TD pass from Griffith to Corum, capping a 77-yard scoring drive, making it 29-7 just before halftime. That was essentially the ball game.
"They were a great team that came in with a great game plan, and we just didn't meet the challenge," Daniels told the
Miami Herald.
We will see just how great the Panthers are on Sept. 14, when they travel to Southern California to face Mater Dei at St. John Bosco. If both teams continue their current play, that will be No. 1 versus No. 2.
St. Frances center Tyler Thomas (51) was dominating at the line.
Photo by Daniel Galarza
Defensive lineman Kenard Carter (58) brings down a Central ball carrier from behind.
Photo by Daniel Galarza
