In their 24-0 homecoming victory over Riverfield (La.) on Friday night, the St. Joseph Catholic School once again relied on its defense to put them over the top.
Senior linebacker Mikael Jones and senior defensive end Alex Foster, the team’s defensive leaders, led the way. Jones registered eight solo tackles for St. Joseph, and Foster had seven tackles. Freshman Julius McCullum strong as well with 12 solo tackles.
“Our defense has been the strength of our team all season, and they once agains had a dominant performance,” St. Joseph coach John Baker said.
The game against Riverfield was the regular season finale for the Fighting Irish (5-5) who enter the MAIS Class 3A Football Playoffs as the No. 3 seed. St. Joseph will have a first-round bye in the playoffs, and will play the winner of Friday night’s game between Central Holmes and North Delta School in the state quarterfinals on Nov. 3.
“We like where we are at. The first round bye is very helpful for us, and we will use the week of practice to work on our fundamentals,” Coach Baker said.
Junior Quay Nash, who led the Irish with 67 yards rushing on 12 carries, opened the game’s scoring with an 8-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
St. Joseph sophomore quarterback Victor Baker threw a pair of second-half touchdowns. Baker’s first touchdown strike was a 51-yard catch made by TJ Phillips from 22 yards out. Phillips led the Irish with 88 yards receiving on four receptions.
A fake punt on a throw from Baker to junior Jay Chow from 60 yards away concluded the scoring in the fourth quarter.
Coach Baker said he was pleased with the balance of his offense. Victor Baker threw for 234 yards on 14 of 21 receptions, and the Irish running attack finished with 176 rushing yards. Junior Javion Bayars had 47 yards rushing on 13 carries.
As they head into the state playoffs, Coach Baker and his Fighting Irish are looking to win their fifth state championship in seven years. Although this year’s St. Joseph Irish team has lost five games, this number is misleading since most of their losses have come against team’s from higher classifications.
“We think the tough schedule we have played will help us as we start the playoffs,” Coach Baker said.
