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BALTIMORE — The St. Frances Academy football team sent a loud message to the rest of the MIAA competitors when they shutout Calvert Hall, 14-0, on Friday night at Morgan State University.
The message was their relentless defense is capable of suppressing any offense in the area. St. Frances just didn’t hold Calvert Hall scoreless for four quarters minutes, the Panthers got after Cardinals quarterback Kam Brooks, sacking him several times.
In the second quarter on fourth-and-long, when Calvert Hall was desperate to just put points on the board, Brooks heaved a pass to the end zone that was easily intercepted by SFA’s Darion McKenzie. Then after the Calvert Hall defense gave up a touchdown in the third quarter, the Panthers defense came up with a safety to add two more points to their lead.
Afterwards, you could tell by listening to Calvert Hall coach Donald Davis his St. Frances team, most notably their defense, means business.
“They are big, strong, and athletic,” he said of the Panthers. “That’s hard. That’s a difficult thing to do, to score points on a team that has size and speed, and they are physical. I don’t think we are going to be the first and only team that’s going to have a tough time playing against that defense.”
The first half was a defensive battle. The only scoring came at the 4:33 mark in the first quarter after an early 1-yard touchdown run by St. Frances Academy senior tailback Gary Brightwell to make. After a missed extra point, the Panthers led 6-0.
Calvert Hall (4-2, 0-1 in MIAA), who defeated St. Frances last season, 34-20, had opportunities to get points on the board after an interception and consistently getting good field position on punt returns. But the Cardinals couldn’t break the Panthers defense.
“Every single position on defense was making plays,” said Panthers coach Henry Russell. “The defensive line was doing a good job getting penetration and the linebackers were doing a good job flowing to the football. The middle linebackers did a good job putting us where we needed to be and line us up right. And the defensive backs were where they needed to be all night, too. Great coverage down field. So when you have all three phases of the defense clicking that’s the kind of result you expect to see.”
The Cardinals tried to at least put three points on the board when kicker Jeff Kordenbrock attempted a 27-yarder, but it sailed wide left.
The Panthers, who were winless in the MIAA last season, are off to a great start with a 5-1 record. Over the offseason, SFA overhauled their personnel, with the former Gilman coaching staff coming on board as well as acquiring transfers.
“This is my first year in this conference and I am ready to show people what St. Frances is all about,” said St. Frances defensive lineman B’Ahmad Miller.
Up next for the Panthers happens to be Gilman. Russell admits it will be an emotional week for the staff preparing to play against players they used to coach.
“It won’t effect our kids, so they will be focused on their game and it will be another game for them, which is good,” Russell said. “So, we will try to keep the coaches in check this week.”
The offense came up with some big plays for SFA, including a 40-yard catch and run by Tyree Henry to set up a 1-yard quarterback sneak for the Panthers second touchdown of the night.
Box Score
1 2 3 4 F
CHC 0 0 0 0 0
SFA 6 0 8 0 14
Scoring summary
First quarter
SFA — Gary Brightwell 1-yard run (Kick failed), 6-0
Second quarter
None
Third quarter
SFA — Isiah Robinson 1-yard run (Kick failed), 12-0
SFA — Safety, 14-0
Fourth quarter
None
Notable MIAA Scores:
Archbishop Spalding beat Loyola-Blakefield 63-24
Gilman at Mount Saint Joseph 3pm Saturday
McDonogh is on a bye
