Brooks Borman provided a spark for St. Thomas Academy early in the second half, and he led a swarming defense that clinched the game in the final minute.
With 33 seconds left and Rochester Mayo 13 yards away from a potential game-tying score, Isaac Peterson took the handoff on 4th-and-1 and tried to go into the right side of the line. Borman and fellow inside linebacker Kristian Cercioglu were the first Cadets to meet the senior quarterback.
“We had an inside linebacker blitzing. I wrapped around, and we got enough guys to the ball and stopped him,” Borman said. “Seeing the ref call him short just got all the boys hyped.”
It only seems appropriate the defense had the game-deciding play because that side of the ball was the difference Saturday afternoon in a 21-14 Class 5A quarterfinal win.
“These are the ones you remember; you don’t remember the 40-point blowouts. It makes them a little more special and it puts our guys in a situation where they realize every play matters,” St. Thomas Academy coach Travis Walch said.
Borman provided another of those early in the second half, blocking a punt that was recovered at the Spartans’ 29-yard line. Three plays later, Dominic Baez broke multiple tackles en route to an 18-yard touchdown run and a 14-7 St. Thomas Academy lead.
Two drives that started in Rochester Mayo territory later in the quarter resulted in no insurance points. The Cadets went up 21-7 on a third when Baez scored from the 4 with 6 seconds left in the quarter, one play after a Grant Young interception.
St. Thomas Academy (11-0) entered the game averaging 35 points per game but struggled to consistently put together drives against a 6-5 Rochester Mayo squad that held the Cadets to a season-low 17 points in Week 2.
On an afternoon when the feel-like temperature was 28 degrees at kickoff, the Cadets went three-and-out on four of six first-half drives. The other two ended on an 11-yard touchdown reception by Todd Rogalski and a punt. St. Thomas Academy finished with just six first downs for the game.
“Our defense has won games for us this year, so has our special teams and offense,” said Walch, whose team next meets Spring Lake Park in a state semifinal at 2 p.m. Nov. 14 at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Panthers beat Alexandria 13-2 in overtime Saturday.
The Rochester Mayo offense largely revolves around throwing the football. Peterson threw for 179 yards, but the senior was repeatedly under heavy pressure.
“It was just about grit, winning a lot of one-on-one battles,” Young said. “Defense Coordinator (Joe) Ties is an incredible coach, and his schemes are super effective to get there.”
His team down by two scores, Max Durgin had the second of two fourth-quarter interceptions for the Spartans. A 3-yard Gavin Werneburg touchdown reception got Rochester Mayo within 21-14 with 3:26 left.
Another three-and-out by St. Thomas Academy followed by a short punt gave Rochester Mayo the ball on the Cadets’ 45 with 2:18 to play. Five completions moved the ball to the 13 before Peterson overthrew Werneburg on third down. Then came the game-sealing stop by Borman, Cercioglu and the Cadets.
“They had some big plays, but we just reset and just kept fighting,” Borman said.
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