When St. Thomas Academy took over on offense with 7:48 left in the third quarter, its student section began to chant, “We can’t hear you.”

“Why so quiet?” was the refrain a couple of minutes later when the Cadets took their first lead.

St. Thomas Academy tight end Chase Young, center, celebrates with his teammates after defeating Alexandria Area 42-30 in a Class 5A semifinal game in the State Football Tournament at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)

Stunned, shellshocked or dazed may best describe the red-and-black clad Alexandria supporters at that point, many looking at a quiet ride back up Interstate 94.

“Long drive home” was a brief Cadets student section chant late in Friday’s game.

Down 23-0 in the second quarter, St. Thomas Academy scored 42 unanswered points to advance to the Class 5A championship with a 42-30 win over Alexandria inside U.S. Bank Stadium.

“We knew that we had it in us to come back, have some good plays, have some big energy plays,” said Edward Knapp, who led the Cadets with nine tackles.

“And we need Savion,” he added, a big smile across his face.

Savion Hart had another stellar outing for the Cadets with 227 rushing yards and three scores. Maximus Sims threw for 245 yards and three scores, two to Luke Dobbs, who finished with 114 yards receiving.

The 10-2 Cadets get the winner of Saturday night’s semifinal between Andover (10-1) and Chanhassen (11-0) at 4 p.m. Nov. 25 back at U.S. Bank Stadium. St. Thomas Academy’s lone title came in 1975. It has five runner-up finishes since, including three in the previous seven tournaments.

Hart, a Mr. Football finalist who has 2,416 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns this season, said the focus beginning each drive is what’s ahead of them, not what’s on the scoreboard.

“You can still pull out a win if you go out and make the plays,” he said.

Down by 15 with 1:58 before halftime, Hart had an 86-yard run before scoring from the 5 on the ensuing play to get his team within 23-15. Sims connected with Dobbs for an 11-yard score earlier in the frame.

Before the second half, Sims told his defensive teammates St. Thomas Academy would win if it got one turnover.

It came quickly.

A tip by Charlie Probst led to a pick by Charlie Kern on the Cardinals’ third offensive snap. Hart scored from the 16 on the next play and added the two-point conversion to make it 23-all 94 seconds into the second half.

Four plays into the next St. Thomas Academy series, Sims rolled out to his right and found Avery Buckner behind the Alexandria secondary, a 69-yard connection for the first Cadets lead.

“When this kid sets his feet, there’s no one that throws like him in the state,” said coach Travis Walch, looking at Sims.

Then, arguably the biggest defensive play of the night.

On fourth-and-10, from the Cadets’ 30, Chase Thompson connected with Mason Gorghuber late in the third quarter. Theodore Benz quickly wrapped up the receiver and brought him to the turf less than a yard shy of what was needed. Video replay upheld the spot.

A 36-yard pass from Sims to Chase Young early in the ensuing drive set up a 29-yard hookup for the duo and a 36-23 lead on the first play of quarter four.

Hart added a 21-yard run with 6:12 left to play.

Linebacker Jacob Lanoux could only lament the Cardinals uncharacteristically missing tackles. “We just couldn’t wrap up and execute.”

“We missed assignment on the backside that gave up some long touchdowns, things we’ve been pretty clean on all season,” added coach Mike Empting.

A 61-yard reception by Evan Kludt and a 5-yard catch by Gorghuber made it 14-0 Alexandria. Macklen Heydt scored from the 2 on the third Cardinals possession, but the extra point was blocked.

Walch said responding to a negative is something often talked about in the Cadets’ program.

“That is the first positive thing that happened in this whole game for us, and that is response,” Walch said. “Down 20-0 and our kids said, ‘Let’s Play.’”

Thompson was 28 of 47 for 330 yards with two scores, but Alexandria (11-1) failed to earn its first title game appearance since 1994. The school’s lone title came in 1974.

Related Articles

High school football: Saturday state tournament semifinal predictions

Class 6A state football semifinal: Centennial reaches championship game for first time since 1984

High school football state semifinals roundup: Rocori edges Byron in 4A slugfest, 9-player final set

High school football: Friday state semifinal predictions

High school football: For St. Thomas Academy, less has led to more

After 35 years, Bethel football coach Steve Johnson has decided to retire

Johnson retires as one of the most accomplished NCAA Division III coaches of all time, and he has pulled in no shortage of team or individual accolades. His Royals take on No.5 ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater today in the opening round of the Division III playoffs.

He ranks 15th all time in wins by a coach in Division III and 35th among the entire NCAA. The Bethel program has been consistently competitive for more than two decades, with the last sub-.500 season being back in 1993. The 1993 season was one of only two seasons that Bethel finished below .500 during Johnson’s tenure as head coach, with the other being Johnson’s first season in 1989.

Overall, Bethel went 244-108-1 under Johnson.

Over three decades’ worth of winning seasons is no small feat for a program, never mind for a single coach. When asked about what made him and the program so successful over the course of his career, Johnson attributed it to the team’s ability and priority to stay consistent.

“Every week, you’re just trying to go 1-0,” he said. “We have expectations for each other. We want to have a good foundation and identity, and we’ve stayed aligned with who we are. We want to be strong defensively, and we want to run the ball.”

Johnson won five Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference  championships  at Bethel, going back to back in 2000 and 2001 as well as 2006 and 2007, and winning the fifth in 2013. Making the playoffs 11 times since 2000, Bethel posted a 13-11 record in the playoffs under Johnson and made the Elite 8 in five of those seasons (2007, 2010, 2013, 2018, 2022).

On top of leading the program to many successful seasons, Johnson was individually recognized and given many prestigious coaching awards. He was MIAC Coach of the Year six times, and was named American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III National Coach of the Year in 2022. He was named the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Man of the Year in 2011, and was inducted into the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2016.

Johnon said it was the people that made the job so special.

“It’s an intense profession, and you have this huge appreciation for all the guys, the coaching staff and players,” he said. “I feel really blessed to have the people I’ve had. Very thankful and very blessed.”

Johnson played football at Bethel from 1974-77 and had several coaching jobs between his graduation from Bethel and getting the position as Bethel’s head coach in 1989.

Making the decision to retire is not always an easy one, especially when it’s from something you’ve played or coached almost your entire life. Johnson said it wasn’t the only thing to consider, but that his family played a large role in the decision he made.

“A lot went into it, but it’s a family thing,” he said. “I’m 68 years old. I’d rather go early than stay too late. It’s important, though, that we find someone to keep things rolling the way they have been.”

Regardless of who takes the spot of head coach, it’s safe to say Bethel won’t find another like Steve Johnson for a while.

Joe Flacco used to beat the Browns regularly. He might be joining them.

The former Ravens quarterback is working out Friday for Cleveland, which is still sorting through its QB situation after losing Deshaun Watson with a season-ending shoulder injury, a person familiar with the visit told The Associated Press.

The 38-year-old Flacco could be an option for the Browns, who lost Watson for the remainder of this season when he fractured his right shoulder in the first half of last week’s win at Baltimore.

Watson played the second half and went 14 of 14 passing despite the injury while rallying the Browns to a stunning 33-31 win.

Flacco, who played 11 seasons for the Ravens, is the only QB being worked out Friday at the team’s facility, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the club never publicly discloses any player workouts.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski would not confirm Flacco’s workout following practice, saying only “we bring a lot of guys in.”

Flacco has an 18-3 career mark against the Browns, and last season he rallied the New York Jets to an improbable comeback win over them. He hasn’t been on any roster in 2023. But he has kept open the possibility of returning, and Cleveland has a pressing need.

Watson’s injury has threatened to derail a promising season for the Browns (6-3), who won’t have their franchise QB until 2024 at the earliest and need help now.

With Watson sidelined, the Browns are starting rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) with P.J. Walker as his backup. Thompson-Robinson threw three interceptions in his only start against the Ravens on Oct. 1.

Earlier this week, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said the team will add a third QB, but he didn’t specify if it would be to the active roster or practice squad. The Browns may wait to see how Thompson-Robinson does in his second career start before making any decisions.

Wide receiver Elijah Moore spent two seasons with Flacco in New York and said he would be a great addition.

“Joe’s a leader,” Moore said. “I feel like he has a lot of experience. He knows football, and how could you not want to lean on somebody who knows football? They play the game for a long time at a very high level, the highest level, MVP level. So major respect to him.”

Flacco was named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player in February 2013 after leading the Ravens to a 34-31 win over the San Francisco 49ers. He completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns.

The 6-foot-6 QB has passed for 42,320 yards and gone 99-81 as a starter in 180 career NFL starts. Flacco played 11 seasons for the Ravens, three with the Jets and one in Denver.

Like Moore, Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett believes Flacco would be a major asset — as a player or simply to help Thompson-Robinson.

“Maturity and experience. Wisdom,” Garrett said when asked the value of adding a player like Flacco. “As much as Deshaun has played, Flacco’s seen more. He’s been to the highest level. He can provide that little bit of a mentor role even if he doesn’t see the field being there and being a consistent leader.”

()