St. Thomas Academy defeats Alexandria with 42 unanswered points in Class 5A semifinal
MINNEAPOLIS — Down 20-0 and facing an Alexandria offense that had 121 total yards in the first quarter, the St. Thomas Cadets special teams lined up for the point after attempt. A Cadet dove in and tipped the kick and blocked it.
“That is the first play where it looked like we were ready to come out and play this game,” St. Thomas Academy head coach Travis Welch said. “We can go to everything else, but that play was the play of the game.”
Alexandria kicked a field goal four minutes later for a 23-0 lead, but St. Thomas Academy (10-2) rallied and scored 42 unanswered points to defeat Alexandria Cardinals (11-1) 42-30 in the MSHSL Class 5A tournament semifinals on Friday at U.S Bank Stadium.
Welch cited the blocked field goal early in the second quarter as the sign his team was ready to play, but the Cadets showed it on the scoreboard with a 48-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Maximus Sims to Luke Dobbs, and a 2-point conversion, for a 23-8 Alexandria lead.
One defensive stop later, running back Savion Hart broke an 86-yard run on the first play of the drive, and he punched it in the end zone on the second play to cut into the Cardinals’ lead 23-14 before halftime.
“In the beginning we were frustrated,” Hart said. “That was one of the emotion. What are we doing wrong and how can we fix it? But we come together before every drive and just forget about the past. … One of the emotions we felt was hope.”
Within striking distance at halftime, the Cadets’ defense needed to continue the momentum at the start of the second half.
“We looked at the defense and we said, ‘One turnover and we win this game,’” St. Thomas Academy senior Edward Knapp said.
The Cadets intercepted the Cardinals on the first drive of the game, and St. Thomas Academy rolled to victory with 240 total yards in the second half and four touchdowns.
For Alexandria, it was its first loss of the season.
“We’ve had some close games all year but we’ve come out victorious,” Alexandria quarterback Chase Thompson said. “It just hurt.”
Hart finished with 25 rushing attempts and 232 yards and three touchdowns. Sims finished 12-of-15 passing with 245 passing yards and three touchdowns and one interception.
St. Thomas Academy will play the winner of Chanhassen vs. Andover in the Class 5A Prep Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium at 4 p.m. on November 25.
The Cadets fell to Andover 55-29 in the first week of the season.
“I think the loss set us up for this championship,” Sims said. “Going into playoffs, we’ve been through everything I think we need to go through. Offense, defense, special teams, we’re one unit.”
