New chapter unfolds in storied St. Paul-Sacred Heart rivalry
by Cedric Inglehart
Thursday, October 27, 2011
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Another chapter will be written Saturday afternoon in the storied rivalry between Shiner St. Paul and Hallettsville Sacred Heart.
The home-standing Indians will carry a perfect 8-0 record into the game, while the Cardinals (6-2, 1-1) will be looking to knock them off in order to keep alive their hopes of retaining the TAPPS Division IV District 3 title.
"They’ve got everything in the world going for them right now," said St. Paul head coach Paul Johnston. "To me one of the biggest factors is they’ve got 13 seniors on their ball club. It makes a big difference when you’ve got that many guys with so much experience."
Sacred Heart is coming off a 56-0 drubbing of winless San Antonio St. Gerard, where they outgained the Royals 455-36. All of the Indians’ scores came on running plays, including three in the first quarter by Sterling Hrncir, but they also have an effective passer in quarterback Jared Krischke.
"We always want to wear down the defense," said Sacred Heart head coach Pat Henke. "Our number one priority going into every game is running the football, but our quarterback has been pretty accurate of late so feel like we can do both."
"I think their passing game is underrated," said Johnston. "Their quarterback is very, very accurate and they can line it up and throw it down the field. It’s their play-action passing that scares us the most because their running game is so effective. You get so concerned with stopping the run and the next thing you know, they’re throwing to an open receiver down the field."
The game will feature a contrast of offensive styles with the Cardinals sporting the district’s top aerial assault, averaging just under 220 yards per game. Dakota Kresta threw three touchdown passes in St. Paul’s game, a 57-12 win over St. Gerard.
"They run an offense that we don’t see too much," said Henke. "It’s wide-open and they get the ball in the hands of a lot of people. You definitely have to play a full four quarters against them because they’re capable of scoring from anywhere on the field at any time."
Sacred Heart has been stout on defense all year and have allowed an average of 115 yards per game, tops in the district.
"They base out of a four-man front but it could be three or four different coverages that we could see," Johnston said. "They can go man, they can go Cover 4 or they can go Cover 2. We have to be ready for anything because they have no weaknesses that jump out at you."
"The main thing is we can’t beat ourselves. We’re a different team from last year in that we’re a lot younger and more inexperienced. We’ve had times this year where we’ve clicked and looked pretty good, but we’ve had times where we’ve made mistakes. The bigger the game is, the more your own mistakes will hurt you and we can’t afford to do that."
If Sacred Heart can prevail, then it sets up a showdown next week with Brazos Christian for the district championship. The Eagles, who host St. Gerard, are also unbeaten in district play, but Henke said he has no interest in looking past the Cardinals.
"I’m not even thinking about Brazos Christian," he said. "We’ve got one thought on our minds and that’s St. Paul. We have to take care of the football and win the turnover battle. We expect them to make some plays with their offense, but we can’t let them make too many big plays. That’s the whole key."
The game will kick off Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Brahmas Stadium in Hallettsville.
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