With his football team leading by just a touchdown in the second half, East Ridge defensive back Griffen Davis kept faith as the Raptors’ other units went cold.

A field-goal attempt hits the upright. The defense turns Cretin-Derham Hall over on downs.

Running back Dominik London, untouched, loses a fumble. The defense holds the Raiders for three consecutive downs and forces a short punt.

The offense finally rejoined the party. Quarterback Otumus Payemanu took the ensuing play 38 yards to the end zone for a 28-14 lead in the fourth quarter and East Ridge cruised from there in a 35-20 victory.

“All year we’ve been preaching, ‘Never be the team that gets down and just quits,’ ” said Davis, one of the team’s five senior captains. “We want to be the team that’s always positive and always has a chance to make something happen.”

As the close game wore on, a favorite was hard to determine. After all, East Ridge has shown no quit despite losing two Division I players a season earlier than expected and its head coach a week before the season.

On the other sideline, Cretin-Derham Hall (3-2) played with the moxie of a team that trailed in all three of its previous victories this season.
East Ridge (4-1) won out, though, outscoring the host Raiders 21-6 in the second half at the University of St. Thomas.

“Heart,” said Raptors junior running back Dominik London, identifying the key to victory. London showed plenty, rushing 26 times for 205 yards. Payemanu added 115 yards on 16 carries.

“We fight through adversity,’’ London said. “We believe everything will pan out if we worry about ourselves.”

The teams went into halftime tied 14-14. East Ridge scored first thanks to a 69-yard punt return by Davis. He set up the first of two Connor Mohs 1-yard touchdown runs in the first half.

Raiders quarterback Daniel Ryan hit Denzel Fondungallah in stride for a 47-yard score. A 17-yard run by Jonathan Westafer put the home team ahead 14-7 late in the first quarter.

East Ridge responded with four consecutive touchdowns as the Raptors defense clamped down.

“The defense is always amazing,” London said. “In my heart, they are the No. 1 defense in the state.”

East Ridge won 35-20 at Cretin-Derham Hall, taking control of the game in the fourth quarter.

The Raptors (4-1) defense forced a punt and quarterback Otumus Payemanu scored on the first play of the ensuing possession.

Payemanu ran 38 yards to the end zone and built a two-score lead over the Raiders (3-2) midway through the final quarter.

Check back later for more on the game.

Key of the game: Cretin-Derham Hall’s potent offense sputtered after halftime as the East Ridge defense stiffened. The Raiders had to punt twice and were turned over on downs twice.

Quote: “He’s always making us crack up in the huddle, keeping our heads up.” — East Ridge running back Dominik London on quarterback Otumus Payemanu, a senior transfer from North Carolina who brought leadership under center.

One thing to know: East Ridge got the game’s best bounce. The Raptors punted away their first possession of the second half. The ball hit a Raiders player and East Ridge recovered on the Cretin-Derham Hall 25-yard line. London scored to give his team a 21-14 lead it would not relinquish.

DAVID LA VAQUE