The St. Francis football team started last season 3-0 but finished 4-5 with four losses by six points or less.
So while the Saints' 2-0 record thus far is nothing new, the comebacks in both victories are encouraging for a team focused on finishing games.
A 30-point fourth quarter in the season opener against Duluth East turned a 14-6 deficit into a 36-21 victory. And in their 35-28 victory against Cooper, the Saints shrugged off a 28-14 Hawks' lead early in the final quarter. In two weeks, St. Francis outscored its opponents by a combined score of 51-6 in the fourth quarter.
"Our kids understand they are good enough and tough enough to come back," Saints coach Chris Lindquist said.
Cooper led 21-7 at halftime and in the locker room, Saints players got an earful from their offensive and defensive coordinators. Lindquist threw an emotional changeup, opting to smile rather than seethe.
"I told the kids, 'This feels like the lunch break at two-a-days,'" Lindquist said. "I said, 'Let's go back out like it's a new practice and let's do our Oklahoma hitting drills from the first snap to the last.'"
Of course, putting yourself in a position to need a comeback is a slippery slope and Lindquist knows tough tests await his team. The Saints play at Benilde-St. Margaret's on Friday and then head to Irondale -- teams they have gone a combined 1-5 against since 2006.
Until we meet againThe girls' soccer teams from No. 4 Centennial and Mounds View played to a 0-0 tie on Sept. 10. They played the customary overtime period but penalty kicks are not used to decide regular-season games. Mustangs coach Sharon Swallen didn't mind, considering the teams needed 31 penalty kicks to decided the Class 2A, Section 5 championship game last season.
