Saint Stephen's jumped out early to take FHSAA fall kickoff classic
BRADENTON — The Saint Stephen’s Episcopal football team jumped out to an early advantage and posted a 31-20 victory over Southwest Florida Christian Academy on Thursday evening in the FHSAA fall kickoff classic at the Moore Athletic Complex.
After a strong 43-yard opening kickoff return by Caleb Bosek put the Falcons at the King’s 43-yard line, three plays later junior running back Evan Brown scampered 27 yards to open the scoring for Saint Stephen’s 94 seconds into the contest.
The Falcons struck again at the outset of the second quarter when senior Justin Millican made a leaping catch of a Luke Donley pass and scored on a 34-yard score 46 seconds into the period.
Held to minus two yards in the first quarter, Southwest Florida Christian got on the board with scoring passes from junior quarterback Eli Moore to Sheadon Cadore covering 42 and 63 yards. In between Donley hooked up with Brown for an 80-yard touchdown on a throw-back pass to the left.
The Falcons took a 28-12 lead at halftime when Millican went 69 yards with a reverse.
Nolan Winterhalter, who made all four PAT kicks, booted a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter for Saint Stephen’s
Moore went over from a yard out in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.
The King’s, who went 5-4 last season, open the regular season 7 p.m. Aug. 26 at home against Santa Fe Catholic.
The Falcons, who finished 3-5 a year ago, begin the season 7 p.m. at home against Fort Myers Evangelical Christian on Aug. 26.
SW Fla. Christian Academy takeaways
• The King’s outscored Saint Stephen’s 8-3 in the second half, also getting a two-point conversion from Moore to Cole Ingole. “I liked the way we rebounded in the second half,” Southwest Florida Christian coach Bill Moore said. “We came out a little ahead in the second half. This was almost a mirror of when they came to our place last year and jumped out on us.”
• Despite giving up 28 points in the first half, the Southwest Florida Christian defense gave up just the field goal in the second half. Wyatt Early had an interception and Wyatt Trim recovered a fumble in the first half. “I was real proud of the defense,” Coach Moore said.
• Eli Moore went 18-for-39 for 216 yards with eight passes going to Cadore for 101 yards. The King’s running game compiled 29 yards, 20 by Moore on designed runs and scrambles. “The offense made some plays,” Coach Moore said. “They’re a good football team, very solid up front. So I was happy to see us still compete.”
• After playing two quarters in the spring classic, Coach Moore wants to see more composure from his players. “We’re still trying to put things together,” he said. “This is a great environment, a great team to get ready for next week.”
Saint Stephen’s takeaways
• In his second varsity season, Brown was a workhorse for the Falcons. The junior gained 154 yards on 26 carries and caught three passes for 81 yards. “He’s a tough something,” Saint Stephen’s coach A.J. Brown said. “He comes to practice every day and works hard and does everything we need.”
• Donley was near perfect, completing 8-of-10 for 125 yards and a pair of scores. Millican, a lacrosse player in his first year of football, caught two passes for 40 yards along with his electrifying touchdown run.
• Millican also made his presence known on defense with an interception. Freshman Caleb Bosek also picked off a pass in the third quarter. • When asked what he liked, Coach Brown said, “We won. I saw some good things. Guys came out and worked hard. We lined up right and flew to the football.”
• If there is one thing Coach Brown would like to see improvement in: “We definitely have to get our conditioning up,” he said.
Dennis Maffezzoli is the deputy sports editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and chief reporter for Sarasota Herald-Tribune and HTpreps covering Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. Support local journalism by subscribing.
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Saint Stephen's jumped out early to take FHSAA fall kickoff classic
