Football: Holy Angels picks apart the Wingers

After taking a 62-6 beating from Academy of Holy Angels in Missota Conference play Friday, Red Wing head football coach Matt Schultz was uncharacteristically short on words.

Trying to describe how the Stars pulled away for the blowout victory, Schultz could use every adjective possible about Holy Angels’ talent.

“They’re very athletic, and they are bigger and stronger,” Schultz said. “That’s a good football team.”

Since beating the Stars 13-10 in 2010, the Wingers have been outscored by Holy Angels 98-6 in their last two meetings.

After going three-and-out in its first drive, Red Wing pinned the Stars deep in their own territory at the 33-yard line. But the Stars went 49 yards on their first play, a reverse pass from Jordan Dembley to Kyle Fallon. On the next play, quarterback Sam Keis broke to the outside on a read option, going 19 yards for the score for the 7-0 lead just under two minutes into the game.

With the Wingers trying to respond on the next drive, Holy Angels’ defense got into the scoring act, as Del’Shon Strickland jumped a quick curl route and intercepted a pass from Red Wing quarterback Isaac Toivonen on the way to a 51-yard touchdown.

“We put them in a pretty deep hole right away, and they went in and scored,” Schultz said. “Then they get a pick-six. That’s a good football team, I have to give a lot of credit to them.”

Late in the first quarter, Keis found the end zone again on another option run, breaking loose for a 17-yard score as the Stars went up 21-0.

The Holy Angels senior signal-caller was no stranger to the end zone on Friday, accounting for five touchdowns (three rushing, two passing) and 253 yards of total offense (131 passing, 122 rushing).

“He’s a very good football player,” Schultz said of Keis. “I’m sure he’ll be a candidate for Mr. Football.”

Trying anything to put up some points before halftime, the Wingers (1-4, 0-4 Missota) went to the air, and Toivonen threw a nearly-perfect fade to Ben Miller near the sidelines.

But in a highlight-reel play, Strickland went up for a one-handed interception at the 9-yard line, killing Red Wing’s chance at making the game respectable.

To Schultz, that play was indicative of how the entire night went for his team.

“Isaac threw a perfect ball on that fade, and the kid went up with one hand and grabbed it,” he said. “That’s all we could do. That’s the best we were going to look.”

Leading 27-0 at halftime, the Stars (4-1, 4-0 Missota) did not relent in the second half, opening the third quarter with a 58-yard run by Keis. Two plays later, Connor McCarthy barreled his way into the end zone with a two-yard score.

The rout was on after that, as Holy Angels scored 35 points in the third quarter. Running back Connor Moriarty scored a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to go with 103 rushing yards, and Keis had a rushing and passing touchdown in the third.

“They’re just bigger and better than us,” Schultz said. “We’ll get better. We’ll get better as the year goes.”

The lone bright spot on an otherwise dreary night for the Wingers came from Toivonen and Andre Page. At midfield down 41-0, Toivonen went deep to Page, who beat double coverage to come away with a 42-yard touchdown reception. Toivonen threw for 101 yards on 8 of 20 passing, while Page had 60 receiving yards. Miller had 31 receiving yards on a team-high four catches.

Just as quickly as Friday’s game got out of hand, Schultz and the Wingers are hoping to put the loss against the Stars away even quicker. Red Wing is on the road next Friday against Northfield.

“We just have to get ready for the next one,” Schultz said.

Tags: red wing, sports, prep, football