St. thomas academy 38, park of cottage grove 35
St. Thomas Academy scored on its first four drives, building a 21-point lead early in the second quarter. Park of Cottage Grove (2-1) nearly overcame the early punch but finished one score short. Woody Hubbell scored twice for St. Thomas (3-0), and Dan Gehrz, John Myran and Andrew Tri also scored. Park trailed by 18 midway through the fourth quarter but scored twice, the second coming with 5:04 left. St. Thomas' Hugh Burke recovered a late fumble to seal it. Running back Tolu Ogunrinde scored twice for the Wolfpack, and quarterback Brendan Beaulieu threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another.
Key of the game: St. Thomas' ability to run the ball. The Cadets accrued more than 200 yards of offense in the first quarter, much of it on the ground, and Hubbell had nearly 150 yards of offense in the first half. Running back Sean McFadden also finished with more than 100 yards of offense.
Quote: "That's the only thing that was on my mind. Getting the ball and covering it up like a baby in the fetal position."— Burke on the fumble recovery
One thing to know: The loss at St. Thomas came after Park's best start in nearly two decades.
NATE GOTLIEB
