ST. GEORGES — Five players scored touchdowns for Salesianum, and the Sals put on a dominating defensive performance for much of the game, in a 38-19 win over Hodgson on Nov. 4 at St. Georges Technical High School. The win clinched the Class 3A District 1 title for the Sals, who will be seeded no lower than second in the DIAA tournament when they begin in a few weeks.
Hodgson, playing its home games at various locations while a new school building and athletic facility is being built on the Glasgow campus, struggled offensively in the first half under a withering Sallies defense. The Silver Eagles opened with possession but went three and out, and the Sals got the ball at their own 41 for their initial drive.
Sals running back B.J. Alleyne covered 32 yards on the team’s first play from scrimmage, but the offense stalled after that. The Sals were poised to go for it on fourth and five, but after a penalty, Colin Maradick came in and nailed a 45-yard field goal to open the scoring.
After stopping the Silver Eagles again, Salesianum began its next drive from its own 39. Quarterback Ryan Stoehr gained 15 yards on a second-down keeper, and from there, Andrew Ransome and Alleyne ran for a combined 22 yards on three carries. After a sack left the Sals with second down and 16 from the Hodgson 30, Stoehr connected with Alleyne for a 17-yard gain. Three plays later, Stoehr found Lukas Ryan in the right front corner of the end zone for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead with 4:31 remaining in the first.
The Sals added to the lead three and a half minutes into the second quarter. Stoehr hit Hunter Balint on third and 10 for a 16-yard gain to move the team to the Silver Eagles’ 39. They were facing a third and 14 from the 43 when Stoehr and Ryan hooked up again, this time over the middle for a 41-yard gain. Alleyne took a direct snap on first down and added Salesianum’s second touchdown.
They were driving at the end of the first half but missed on an attempted touchdown pass. Hodgson’s Brysheem Davis had two first-half interceptions, but the Silver Eagles managed just two first downs, one coming on a Salesianum penalty. The Salesianum defense did not cause a first-half turnover, but it did have at least three sacks and several tackles for loss.
The offense picked up on the opening drive of the second half. Under the direction of quarterback Brady McBride, the Sals began at the Hodgson 20 after a long kickoff return by Jasir Gaymon. McBride ran for 9 yards, Ransome picked up the first down with a 3-yard pickup, and Aiden Lego finished it off with an 8-yard run off right tackle with 10:11 to go in the third.
A Sallies fumble led to the first Hodgson touchdown. Silver Eagles quarterback Xavier Brown and Davis connected on three passes totaling 61 yards, and Maki Beach converted a fourth down from a yard out.
The teams traded four touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Ransome capped a six-minute, 77-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown 84 seconds in for Salesianum. Hodgson got a 47-yard pass from Brown to Beach while a Salesianum defender was hanging on to the quarterback’s jersey. Ben Anton caught a 20-yard scoring pass from McBride with 1:47 left, and a scrambling Brown found Beach over the middle, with Beach zigging and sagging his way for a 74-yard score in the final 30 seconds.
Stoehr, McBride and Alleyne combined for 210 yards passing, and the Sals had 165 yards on the ground. Ryan had seven catches for 80 yards. The Sals (8-1) finish the regular season on Nov. 10 at Saint Mark’s. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. It will be the first meeting on the gridiron between the Sals and Spartans since 2019.
Hodgson fell to 6-3. The Silver Eagles finish the regular season on Nov. 11 at noon at William Penn.
All photos by Jason Winchell.
