MILLTOWN – Saint Mark’s stayed right with Red Lion for much of their football game on Nov. 13, but the Lions scored on a few big plays and stopped three Spartans drives inside the 15-yard line on the way to a 27-12 win at the Graveyard. It was the regular-season finale for Saint Mark’s, who will find out Sunday if they will be playing in the state tournament.
The Spartans’ offense got going early with a heavy dose of Ray Kaczmarczyk (St. John the Beloved Parish). The senior ran for 19 yards on the first play from scrimmage, and he ran the next three plays as well. Quarterback Kyle Iudica (St. John the Beloved Parish) then connected with Ta’Son Wallace on a 34-yard pass, giving them a first down at the Red Lion 14. The drive stalled, however, and Nick Massey came on for a 34-yard field goal.
The Lions struck quickly. Facing a third and 15 from their own 20, quarterback Cole Andrews hit Makai Richmond over the middle, and Richmond streaked to the end zone for an 80-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion made it 8-3.
Saint Mark’s added another field goal on its next drive to cut the lead to two. Scott Fillingame kept the drive alive with a leaping catch along the sidelines on a third and 9, picking up 25 yards on the play. Two plays later, Wallace caught a play-action pass for a 17-yard gain, and Kaczmarczyk followed with a 16-yard run to the Lions’ 9. Massey hit a 28-yard field goal after the Red Lion defense tightened.
Those points came with 34 seconds left in the first quarter, and neither team could score in the second. The second half was a different story, however.
Red Lion opened with possession in the second half and immediately went to work. Jordon Jones ran for 24 yards on the first three plays, and Jesiah Murphy covered the final 40 yards with a run down the left side to increase the Lions’ lead to 14-6 two minutes into the half.
The Spartans answered with their own ground attack. From their own 26, Kaczmarczyk ran for yards, then burst up the middle for a 60-yard gain to the Red Lion 10. Gabe Capriglioni finished this drive with a 5-yard scoring run, cutting the Lions’ lead to 14-12.
Red Lion featured a lot of Jones on its next possession, and it paid off when he scored from 28 yards out, extending the lead to 21-12 with five minutes left in the third. Nathan Everett intercepted a pass a few plays later, giving the Lions the ball at the Spartans’ 44. Andrews wasted no time, hitting Richmond behind the defense for a score that increased the lead to 28-12 with 3:27 to go in the quarter.
A blocked punt by the Spartans gave them the ball at the Red Lion 5 with 10 minutes to go, but the Lions’ defense stepped up. They forced Saint Mark’s into a fourth-and-goal from the 9, then stopped Fillingame at the 2 on a fourth-down pass.
The Spartans forced another Red Lion punt, and this time, the offense capitalized. Iudica and Ziyon Bowen connected on a 50-yard touchdown pass, but the two-point attempt was stopped.
Andrews had 174 yards passing and two touchdowns for the Lions, while Jones rushed for 159 yards. Red Lion (9-1) clinched Class 2A District 2 with the win and will likely be the second seed in the eight-team postseason bracket when the fields are announced. They will have a home game next week.
The Spartans finished the regular season 4-6 and appear to be in position for the eighth and final postseason spot. If that is the case, they would play Howard next week at Abessinio Stadium at a date and time to be announced.
Photos by Mike Lang.
