Defense sets tone for St. Francis football in win over Mayfair
The St. Francis High football team looked to continue some recent good fortunate when it hosted Mayfair on Friday in a nonleague game at Friedman Field.
The Golden Knights entered the contest having won their last two games, surrendering just two touchdowns in the process.
St. Francis turned in another fine defense effort Friday.
To complement the defensive effort, quarterback Jack Clougherty threw five touchdown passes to lead St. Francis to a 33-0 victory over Mayfair.
St. Francis (5-1) pitched its first shutout of the season behind a smothering defense that held the Monsoons to 97 yards of total offense, including 31 yards in the first half.
Clougherty completed 16 of 25 passes for 229 yards. Clougherty spread the wealth around by connecting with five receivers for touchdowns.
“We stuck with the script with the pass and run. After the high-scoring game against them last year, our defense was amazing and really stepped up,” Clougherty said.
Kevin Armstead carried 25 times for 174 yards including 10 carries of 10 yards or more. Armstead caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Clougherty early in the third quarter.
“I like it when we play top-notch competition. Our offensive line blocked well and I try and always run hard. I’m glad we got the win,” Armstead said.
Bryson Reeves spearheaded the defense with an interception in the fourth quarter. Clougherty connected on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Reeves in the fourth quarter.
Mayfair (2-5) was still in the game late in the third quarter. Max Garrison caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Clougherty on the last play of the third quarter to give the Golden Knights a 26-0 lead.
The Monsoons were led by Tstrong Mataele, who carried 14 times for 32 yards. Freshman quarterback Evan Tomich completed four of 15 passes for 33 yards.
St. Francis had 22 first downs, compared to six for Mayfair.
“Our defense played a great game and they’ve been getting better week by week. If we executed better and cut down on penalties we could of had a bigger lead at halftime,” St. Francis coach Jim Bonds said.