Trailing by a point with less than five minutes remaining, South St. Paul used a 23-yard field goal from senior Nick Ricci and a fourth-and-1 stop from the defense to secure a victory at home. Two St. Thomas Academy touchdowns within the final 2:38 before halftime built a 21-14 lead. A 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half by the Packers’ Jaden Bjorklund cut the lead to 21-20 and restored a spark within his team. South St. Paul avoided losing at home in two consecutive weeks for the first time since 2007.

Key of the game: Battling cramps much of the game, Bjorklund ripped off an electrifying 75-yard touchdown run to start the second half. Bjorklund ran for touchdowns of 5, 65 and 75 yards.

Quote: “It was my first one. First one in a real game. I was scared but I knew I could hit it.” —Ricci on his game-winning field goal.

One thing to know: Bjorklund and Ricci were clutch but so was junior quarterback Dan Pietruszewski. He completed a 37-yard pass to senior Trenton McCloud to set up Ricci’s field goal.

DAVID LA VAQUE

A South St. Paul defensive stand preserved a 23-21 comeback victory against visiting St. Thomas Academy on Friday at South St. Paul’s Ettinger Field.

Packers’ running back Jaden Bjorklund ran for three touchdowns covering a total of more than 140 yards.

South St. Paul turned the Cadets over on downs near midfield with 1:34 to play in the game.

Check back later for more on the game.