Longo helps carry Holy Angels past South St. Paul in convincing win

By Matthew Davis, SportsEngine, 08/30/19, 4:00PM CDT

The Stars' Joe Longo joined with running back Alex Knoll for four TDs in season opener.

Holy Angels junior running back Alex Knoll evaded South St. Paul's defense on his way to the end zone Friday night. The Stars beat the Packers 44-14. Photo by Earl J. Ebensteiner, SportsEngine

Holy Angels junior running back Joe Longo made the most of his time with the ball against South St. Paul on Thursday.

He scored two rushing touchdowns in the Stars’ 44-14 rout of the Packers. His first, a 2-yard run, put the Stars up 7-0 in the first quarter, before adding a second in the third quarter to pad a 37-7 cushion against the Packers.

“My goal is to get in the end zone,” said Longo, who splits time at linebacker.

Photo Gallery: South St. Paul vs. Holy Angels

Several other Stars met that goal multiple times with junior running back Alex Knoll scoring twice and junior quarterback Theo Doran firing two TD passes. Senior wide receiver Seth Owens caught the first one for 30 yards in the third quarter, and senior tight end Thomas Mahoney hauled in the second one a yard in the fourth quarter.

“We just practice so hard every week,” Longo said about the execution.

South St. Paul thwarted the Stars’ execution at first with an interception by senior defensive back Max Bauer in the first quarter. The Packers secondary also broke up a pass to Stars junior wide receiver Bryce Boyd in the end zone on fourth down later in the quarter.

Holy Angels took advantage of the field position afterward, pinning South St. Paul near its goal line. The Packers handed the Stars two more points on a safety due a botched punt in the back of the end zone.

Knoll took over from there with TD runs of 30 and seven yards as the Stars built a 23-0 lead in the second quarter. Knoll finished with 54 yards on five carries.

Packers senior quarterback Mitch Felton guided his team into Stars territory at the end of the half but came up empty. Felton couldn’t build on it when Stars senior linebacker Jack Miller picked him off on the Packers’ first drive of the third quarter.

Holy Angels bolted ahead 30-7 a play later on Doran’s first TD pass.

The Stars stretched the lead to 30 points on Longo’s second TD.

South St. Paul scored its first points on a 21-yard TD by junior running back Quinn Christoffersen in the third quarter. The Packers added another score on a 34-yard TD pass by Felton to junior wide receiver Jahairius Burnside.

“Everything was just off tonight, but hopefully we can come back and play better,” Burnside said.

Longo hopes the Stars’ win will be the first step toward making a deep playoff run in Class 4A this fall. The Stars won the Prep Bowl in 2017.

“We look forward to those games,” Longo said.

Holy Angels quarterback Theo Doran connected with Seth Owns on a 30-yard TD pass Friday night against South St. Paul. Photo by Earl J. Ebensteiner, SportsEngine

First Report

Holy Angels’ momentum snowballed from the start in rolling to a 44-14 win over South St. Paul Friday night.

Junior running back Joe Longo started the Stars’ scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. The Stars (1-0) missed a scoring opportunity when senior quarterback Theo Doran couldn’t connect with junior wide receiver Bryce Boyd in the end zone, a pass the Packers (0-1) nearly picked off.

After pinning South St. Paul near its goal line, the Stars were handed two more points on a safety due a botched Packers punt in the back of the end zone.

Junior running back Alex Knoll took over, logging TD runs of 30 and 7 yards as the Stars built a 23-0 lead in the second quarter. Knoll rushed for 50 yards in the first half.

Packers quarterback Mitch Felton guided his team into Stars territory at the end of the half but came up empty. Then Holy Angels senior linebacker Jack Miller intercepted a pass on the Packers’ first drive of the third quarter.

The Stars bolted ahead 30-7 a play later with a 30-yard TD pass by Doran to senior wide receiver Seth Owens. The Stars tacked on another score in the third quarter on Longo’s second TD of the game, a 1-yard run. Doran kept the lead at 30 in the fourth quarter when he found senior tight end Thomas Mahoney for a 1-yard TD.

The Packers also had bright spots on defense with a fumble recovery by junior defensive back Cole Sitar and an interception by senior defensive back Max Bauer.

South St. Paul junior running back Quinn Christoffersen scores the Packers' first TD Friday night on a 21-yard carry. The Packers lost to Holy Angels 44-14. Photo by Earl J. Ebensteiner, SportsEngine

MN Football Hub polls are for entertainment purposes only.