Quantcast
skip navigation

St. Thomas Academy eases to victory over Cretin-Derham Hall

By JIM PAULSEN, Star Tribune, 09/18/21, 12:15AM CDT

Share

Rivalry of St. Paul private schools fires back up


St. Thomas Academy running back Love Adebayo (1) runs over Cretin-Derham Hall defender Josh Taylor (6) on his way to a fourth-quarter touchdown that capped the Cadets' 41-14 victory. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine


Cretin Derham Hall quarterback Tre Holloman (5) is hit by St. Thomas Academy defender Mark Rogalski (8) just after he released a fourth-quarter pass. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

St. Thomas Academy coach Dan O’Brien stepped off the elevator at TCO Performance Center after his Cadets had dominated Cretin-Derham Hall 41-14.

“Boy,” he said to no one in particular. “Am I glad this one is over.”

The highly anticipated game was billed as a renewal of a long and storied rivalry between St. Paul area private schools. The teams, who at one time considered each other their fiercest rival, had not met on the football field since 2004. The resumption of the game had ignited passions in alumni and parents on both sides.

St. Thomas Academy coach Dan O’Brien stepped off the elevator at TCO Performance Center after his Cadets had dominated Cretin-Derham Hall 41-14.

“Boy,” he said to no one in particular. “Am I glad this one is over.”

The highly anticipated game was billed as a renewal of a long and storied rivalry between St. Paul area private schools. The teams, who at one time considered each other their fiercest rival, had not met on the football field since 2004. The resumption of the game had ignited passions in alumni and parents on both sides.

O’Brien wasn’t referring to the outcome but rather the pervasive pregame hullabaloo.

Suffice it to say, this one didn’t quite live up to the hype.

St. Thomas Academy, behind a big, physical offensive line, pushed Cretin-Derham Hall around for much of the night, building a 34-0 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Raiders regained some respect with two touchdowns in a four-minute span, but the Cadets ended it with a long, late drive the resulted in a touchdown and sealed the victory.

“St. Thomas executed at a very high level,” Cretin-Derham Hall coach Chuck Miesbauer said. “If you can’t match that play-for-play, they gash you. You saw that tonight.”

St. Thomas Academy took the lead on its second drive on a 44-yard run by sophomore running back Savion Lopez. They added touchdowns from running back Love Adebayo and speedy quarterback Grady O’Neill to take a 21-0 halftime lead.

The third quarter was more of the same. Adebayo scored again and O’Neill — part of the Cadets’ three-headed quarterback scheme — caught a touchdown pass to put the game out of reach.

“Our offensive line got going. We’ve got a really good offensive line. Ridiculous,” said the 5-11 O'Neill, who runs a 4.49 40-yard dash. “And our two running backs are great players.”

Cretin-Derham Hall started Tre Holloman at quarterback in place of Luke Floysand in hopes of igniting the offense, but in three quarters Holloman could not lead the Raiders to the end zone. Floysand came in in the fourth quarter and led the Raiders to their two scores.

After the game, O’Brien echoed O’Neill’s assessment of his team’s performance.

“It started up front. I thought our offensive line had a nice night,” he said. “We were able to sustain some drives, and that was helpful.”

While he wouldn’t want to have a week like this past one every week, O’Brien enjoyed the game’s festive atmosphere.

“It was fun,” he said. “Our kids were excited about it all week. Both teams had great crowds and to be able to play in this venue, I think it was great for both communities.”

Football Hub Headlines