Despite two separate weather delays that totaled three hours and six minutes, the No. 10 ranked Cougars defeated Trinity International 38-13 on a rain-soaked Bruce R. Deaton Memorial Field. The MSFA Mid-West win improves Saint Xavier’s record to 5-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference.
Originally scheduled for 1:00 PM, administrators elected to move the start time to 10:45 AM in an effort to avoid the heavy thunderstorms predicted in the area.
Unfortunately for those in attendance, Mother Nature followed her own schedule.
On several occasions, players, coaches, officials, and fans were instructed to take shelter during multiple strikes of lightning and heavy downpours. After overcoming an unorthodox pre-game warmup routine that saw each team retreat to their respective locker rooms three times, Saint Xavier’s Abdul Mahdi sent a kick deep to the Trojan five yard-line at 12:20 PM.
As the game finally got underway, head coach Mike Feminis trotted out quarterback Justin Hunniford in consecutive contests for the first time all season. On Saint Xavier’s first drive, Hunniford completed four-of-five passes for 51 yards and scampered into the end zone on an 11-yard quarterback draw.
Then, lighting struck. With a 7-0 lead and 6:39 remaining in the first quarter, the Cougars and Trojans were forced to clear the field in what turned out to be an hour and 20-minute delay.
When the game finally resumed, Saint Xavier did not miss a beat. Defensively, the Cougar front seven made it difficult for the Trinity International offense to implement their run-heavy offense.
Among the standout defenders was sophomore linebacker Danny Saracco, who had a game-high 14 tackles. Saracco was a pertinent part in the defense’s effort in holding the Trojans to under 250 yards of total offense.
“We have to give a lot of credit to the defensive line,” Saracco said following the win. “They’re strong up front.”
As for Sarraco’s unit, the linebacking core is getting a huge lift from Khristian Lett, who has filled in nicely for the injured Josh Hettiger.
“Lett has been stepping up and playing well for us,” Saracco said. “Omar Salazar – I’ve been playing with that kid for years now and he’s a beast. We really have a good bond with our linebacker core and if we keep doing what we have to do, we’ll get a playoff run in.”
For the second week in a row, Saint Xavier’s defense has shined. Thanks to their efforts through six games, the Cougars have the 17th best scoring defense and are ranked 9th overall in the NAIA on that side of the ball.
In the secondary, freshman cornerback Kevin Block notched his third interception in three games. Collectively, Saint Xavier’s defense held Trinity International on fourth down, as the Trojans finished 0-for-4 on fourth down conversion attempts.
As for the offense, Feminis and offensive coordinator Mark Yanule stayed true to their air-attack game plan despite unfavorable weather conditions. Hunniford was in a groove until late in the second quarter.
On a third down and 10, Hunniford was hit hard as he stood in the pocket. According to the Cougars’ training staff, the junior quarterback suffered a left knee injury that would not allow him to finish the contest.
Sophomore backup Alex Martinez was pressed into action on short notice, but picked up right where Hunniford left off. Martinez finished the drive started by Hunniford with a 24-yard touchdown pass to senior Drey Devereaux to put the Cougars up 14-0.
Martinez ultimately finished the afternoon 16-of-21 passing for 231 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Devereaux, to his credit, added to his impressive day with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
“It was exciting,” Devereaux said, alluding to the touchdown return. “I had a bunch of great blocks and it really ended up paying off for us.”
The touchdown return gave the Cougars a 28-10 lead prior to the start of the fourth quarter and effectively put the game out of reach. The senior wide receiver finished with 253 all-purpose yards. 106 came on three receptions thrown by Martinez.
“All year long it’s been a quarterback battle,” Devereaux said. “[Hunniford and Martinez] have been going head to head throughout the first four games and we were confident in Martinez out there. He stepped up and played well.”
“Martinez did a great job,” Saracco added. “He’s a great quarterback and he stepped up when we needed him.”
Saint Xavier ranks 13th in the country in passing offense, even with amid miserable playing conditions, managed to eclipse their 298.7 passing yards per-game average with 321 yards through the air in the win.
Conventionally, when playing in the rain on a wet surface, the run game would assumedly take priority. That was not the case for Saint Xavier in their win over the Trojans.
The Cougars got strong performances from running backs Jamarri Watson and Mike Ivlow, who combined for 67 yards rushing on 13 carries. Offensively, it is clear much of the team’s success comes from production through the air.
Ultimately, Saint Xavier was able to overcome the weather on a bizarre Saturday. The key was staying locked in to the task at hand during the multiple delays.
“Everyone was loose in the locker room,” Devereaux said. “We stayed focused, had some fun in the locker and when we came out, everyone stayed focused. Both the offense and defense played well so it was an overall good team win.”
“We knew we had to stay focused,” Saracco said. “Going into this game we thought we were better than [Trinity International] and the only advantage they had was the rain. We wanted to make sure to stay focused and just play ball.”
The Cougars look for their third straight win on Saturday, October 21 against Saint Ambrose University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM and the broadcast can be heard on WXAV 88.3 FM and wxav.com.
Mike Rankin
Sports Editor