Cretin-Derham Hall's Tony Underwood took the ball, rushed up the middle and saw nothing but open field.
The senior ran 85 yards for a late-third-quarter touchdown that was the game-winner in the Raiders' 28-13 victory over White Bear Lake at the University of St. Thomas' O'Shaughnessy Stadium.
Underwood added two touchdown catches, including a 55-yarder in the fourth quarter, as Cretin-Derham Hall (4-0) overcame a bevy of penalties, including six false starts.
"All I saw was daylight," Underwood said of his long touchdown run, which came 22 seconds after White Bear Lake had tied the score 7-7. "I didn't even get touched. It was beautiful."
Cretin-Derham Hall led 7-0 at halftime, thanks in part to two red zone defensive stands. But White Bear Lake (2-2) tied the score in the third quarter on quarterback Branden Berwald's third-and-goal sneak.
Underwood had his 85-yarder on the first play of the Raiders' next drive. He added the 55-yard touchdown reception with 7:44 left in the fourth quarter. He credited left tackle Ethan Sigler for the key block.
Berwald threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nate Laroache 2:23 later to cut the Raiders' lead to 21-13. Cretin-Derham Hall then went on a nearly four-minute drive, capped by a 1-yard touchdown rush by quarterback Preston Thelemann.
"We came out and said, 'Let's run it until they stop us,' " first-year Cretin-Derham Hall coach Chuck Miesbauer said. "We kind of got them on their heels, and I think we wore them down a little bit, so if it ain't broke don't fix it."
