St. Bede ends on high note with win over Ottawa

PERU - St. Bede’s post-game huddle broke and the Bruins charged toward the stands, cheering and yelling with helmets held high.

The St. Bede players stopped in front of the student section and sang the fight song.

It was a tough season for the Bruins, but the ended on a high note as they defeated Ottawa 38-28 in the season finale.

“After all the hard work everybody’s put in all season, it feels amazing,” St. Bede senior Phillip Gray said. “We didn’t have a very good start to the season. We had our backs against the wall. But we didn’t give up. We kept fighting. It was a team win today. I’m proud of everyone.”

The Bruins finish 2-7 against a schedule that included seven schools larger than St. Bede and six teams that will likely compete in the postseason with a combined record of 40-14.

“We have felt all year long that we’re a good football team,” St. Bede coach Jim Eustice said. “We just had a lot of adversity this year and a lot of it was non-football related with sicknesses and things that have happened to these kids and we just persevered. Our low point was the homecoming game (a 43-7 loss to Marquette) and I was concerned. These kids held it together. We had the lead against Chillicothe with 5 minutes to go and ended up losing. Same type of thing with Dwight. At (Bloomington Central Catholic) last week we were up 3-0 with a minute left in the half.

“They just kept fighting. To win this game means a lot.”

After a back-and-forth first half, the Bruins led 20-14 at halftime but took control early in the third quarter.

On the second half kickoff, the ball bounced off the chest of the Ottawa return man and Gray pounced on it to give the Bruins the ball at the Ottawa 25-yard line.

The drive ended with a 32-yard field goal by Ryan Soliman.

St. Bede then stopped the Pirates on fourth down, and on the fifth play of the ensuing drive, Gray got behind the Ottawa defense and stuck out a hand to haul in an over-the-shoulder pass from Gino Ferrari for a 40-yard touchdown that gave the Bruins a 31-14 lead with 4:39 left in the third.

From there, St. Bede answered every time the Pirates tried to rally.

Ottawa QB Mark Munson connected with Andrew Vercolio for a 49-yard TD pass with 3:27 left in the third, and the Bruins responded with a 2-yard TD run by Ferrari.

After Bryson Valdez returned an interception for a score with 9:55 to go, the Bruins went on a 13-play drive that took 7:33 off the clock, then AJ Hermes intercepted a Munson pass with 1:04 left to seal the victory.

“Everybody says there’s 3-4-5 plays a game that can decide a high school football game, and we were on the short end of all those plays in six losses,” Eustice said. “Tonight, we were on the good end of those plays.”

In the first half, Ferrari thew a 23-yard TD pass to Halden Hueneburg - which Gray aided with a downfield block - on St. Bede’s first drive, ran for a 5-yard TD after faking a handoff to Landon Marquez and tossed a 3-yard TD to Gray.

Ottawa countered with a 25-yard TD pass from Munson to Weston Averkamp and a 3-yard TD run by Averkamp.

Ferrari finished 13-of-20 passing for 175 yards and three TDs while rushing for 45 yards and two TDs, while Gray caught nine passes for 86 yards and two TDs and Marquez rushed for 163 yards on 27 attempts.

“We ran the ball well,” Eustice said. “Gino has come along as a quarterback every week. He’s a junior and he keeps getting better. Landon ran the ball well and our offensive line played well.”

For Ottawa, Munson completed 10-of-18 passes for 214 yards and two TDs, while Vercolio had five receptions for 129 yards and a TD.

“I thought the kids played with effort,” Ottawa coach Chad Gross said. “I want to thank my seniors for their contributions to the program. It’s tough to end on a loss. It’s been a tough season for all of us. We were hoping to end with a win. It wasn’t lack of effort. St. Bede made a few more plays than us. They had some key turnovers.”

The Pirates finish 1-8.

“We were a young team for the most part,” Gross said. “A lot of kids made a lot of strides this year that we’re proud of. It’s not the record we want, but I think we did make progress throughout the year and I think the kids will use this as motivation for their offseason.”

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St. Bede and Ottawa football teams play for the first time since 1980 on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024 at St. Bede Academy. (Scott Anderson)