With a playoff game on the line, St. Anthony rose to the challenge on Saturday. They blew past the Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders 50-14. The result was nothing new for the Friars, who have now won four matches by 21 points or more so far this season.
St. Anthony's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Gary Merrill, who rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries, and also threw for 99 yards and a touchdown while completing 75% of his passes. Merrill's rushing production has been exceptional for a while as that marked his ninth straight game with at least 116 rushing yards. Another rusher making a difference was Xavier Bala, who rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries.
St. Anthony's didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. Anthony Kenner led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself. Cam Urso was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making nine total tackles (5.0 for loss).
St. Anthony's has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 39.0 points per game. As for Archbishop Stepinac, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-10.
St. Anthony's will be playing in front of their home fans against Cardinal Hayes at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Cardinal Hayes is coming into the matchup with five straight victories on the road, so St. Anthony's will have to stop a squad with plenty of momentum. Archbishop Stepinac does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
