It’s not easy to play football in a swamp. And historically, it’s been particularly tough for St. Anne’s-Belfield in the rain and muck.
“We have never played well in the rain,” said STAB coach John Blake. “And today we were a pretty good rain team.”
Good enough to a grab a 36-19 road victory over Trinity Episcopal in Richmond. The Saints, who play at home on STAB’s turf, battled in the mud with a solid ground game led by Branford Rogers.
Rogers carries the ball 35 times for 208 yards and four touchdowns, averaging nearly six yards per carry.
The game was played in a downpour for three quarters and footing was suspect at best, yet Rogers still powered the offense almost single-handedly, with STAB completing just a single pass on the day, a 27-yard toss from Jake Allen to Darius Wynn. The stat line looked much like it does in October and November for the Saints, who always lean heavily on the run game as the temperature cools down. But on Friday it was a necessity.
“We just flat our ran the football,” Blake said. “Branford made cut after cut on some of those runs.”
Defensively, Antoine Currie had five solo tackles including a safety after a Branford Rogers fumble inside the five. Dylan Park also had five solo stops. Justin Hicks had an interception.
Park also had a kick return for a touchdown midway through the third quarter, a critical score after Trinity’s Torey Burston broke though for a 42-yard touchdown on a dive play.
St. Anne’s hits the road to take on Flint Hill next weekend, continuing a four-game road swing.
