First report on the game:

St. Thomas Academy and Tartan, two of three teams that shared the Classic Suburban Conference title, did not meet in the regular season. But they played for a much bigger prize Saturday in the Class 5A, Section 5 semifinals.

Using great field position early and a tough rushing attack throughout, St. Thomas Academy left Tartan’s field with a 35-14 victory.

Joe Herbeck ran for two touchdowns and quarterback Ben Fiers threw two scoring passes as the No. 3 seed Cadets rolled. They will play host to No. 5 seed Henry Sibley in the section championship game at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1.

St. Thomas Academy blanked the Warriors 31-0 on Sept. 12.

Check back later for more on the game.

Recap: Two of three teams that shared the final Classic Suburban Conference title did not meet in the regular season. Playing for a bigger prize Saturday in the Class 5A, Section 5 semifinals, St. Thomas Academy used great field position early and a tough, multifaceted rushing attack throughout to leave Tartan’s field with a convincing victory. Joe Herbeck ran for two touchdowns, including a 31-yard score on a fourth-and-7 play to give the Cadets a 21-7 halftime lead. Quarterback Ben Fiers added two touchdown passes.

Key of the game: The Cadets started five of their six first-half drives in Tartan territory and scored three touchdowns.

Quote: “That was huge because we were kind of in field goal range, but we really wanted a touchdown. It was a boost for us and kind of took the heart out of them a little bit.” — Cadets coach Dave Ziebarth on Herbeck’s fourth-down touchdown run.

One thing to know: The No. 3 seed Cadets, who play host to No. 5 seed Henry Sibley in the section championship on Friday, blanked the Warriors 31-0 on Sept. 12. “I’ve seen great teams get killed because they came in overconfident and thought they didn’t have to try,” Herbeck said. “You’ve got to keep your head on straight.”

DAVID LA VAQUE