DEERFIELD, Ill. – On a cold November afternoon, the University of St. Francis football team scored 20 points in the second quarter on its way to a 26-7 victory over Trinity International University.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Saints (4-7, 2-3 MSFA Midwest League) got on the board with their second defensive touchdown of the season. Mason DeLong (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) intercepted a pass and took it 38 yards for a pick-six. The USF defense continued to impress throughout the quarter, limiting the Trojans to just 30 yards and one first down.
St. Francis showed off a balanced offensive attack on its next possession, a seven-play 61-yard march. A 20-yard carry from Dwayne Milton (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) set up the Saints inside the 5-yard line and then Jordon Smith (DeWitt, Mich./Lansing Catholic) finished off the drive with a three-yard plunge into the end zone. With 67 rushing yards on Saturday, Milton moved his season total to a St. Francis record 1,089. The previous mark of 1,059 was set by John Larsen in 1987.
With just over three minutes to go in the half, Don Butkus (Dyer, Ind./Mount Carmel) sparked another strong USF possession. He completed six of his seven passes on the drive, including a two-yard scoring strike to Matt Brachmann (Elmhurst, Ill./Montini Catholic) with just six seconds remaining in the half. It was the seventh time in the last eight games that Butkus and Brachmann connected for a touchdown.
Back-to-back big plays in the third quarter helped Trinity International get on the board, but the Saints were able to turn the Trojans away three times in the fourth quarter, including a Malik Thurman (Bellwood, Ill./Proviso West) interception in the red zone. The offense did its part by chewing up nearly seven minutes of clock on a 12-play, 92-yard, fourth-quarter march that culminated with Butkus finding another senior pass catcher, Ray Vallot (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee), in the end zone.
Butkus finished with 188 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, while seniors Smith (19 carries, 68 yards) and Vallot (four catches, 60 yards) led the team in rushing and receiving respectively. Brachmann was Butkus' most popular target with five catches.
On defense, DeLong provided the early pick-six and Thurman helped seal the game with his fourth-quarter interception. Antonio Jameson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Plainfield East) added a fumble recovery. Heithon Hurdle (Monee, Ill./Lockport) paced the squad with nine tackles, while Kody Randa (Sandwich, Ill./Sandwich) made eight stops and registered USF's two sacks.
TIU quarterback Ryan Heath finished with 351 yards via the air and 137 went to Jimmy Campbell. Derek Lowe added 103 yards on the ground and the Trojans' lone score of the afternoon. On defense, Bradley Mowbray had a big game with 17 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, a sack and an interception.
The Saints won their final two games of the season to finish fourth in the MSFA Midwest League.
