Saint Francis Has Bitter End to Senior Night

*Bryan Bromfield Contributed to this article

CBS 4 News’ “Friday Night Rivals” captured the action between two long-time rivals, Saint Francis Catholic and Bronson High School. The Wolves struggled once again against a team they were hoping to have a chance with as Bronson came out on top 28-6. 

“Credit to Bronson, they stayed in it. It gets a little chippy, but it’s a good football team. They wanted to come out here and continue to fight, so all the credit in the world for them,” said James Langham, Head Coach for the Wolves. 

Last season, Bronson shut out the wolves 56-0. While the Wolves still lost, Coach Langham said the score shows improvements in their game. 

“Last year they beat us really good before I got here, so I mean 26-8 is great comparative to what I saw last year. They had a big victory (Bronson).” 

Key players for Saint Francis

With Avi Steiner, a key player for Saint Francis out with a confirmed torn ACL, other players like Pedro Viana and Cooper Lieffers stepped up to the plate to hold their own. 

What ultimately held the team together tonight was Saint Francis’ cohesive-looking defense, who made some major stops on 4th down in the red zone to prevent Bronson from scoring more points. There were two standout performances from the Wolves’ defense. The first was Johnny O’Donnell, who made two crucial tackles on fourth down to stop Bronson from converting. The second star was #6 Thomas Aurilio, who came up with the interception to end the second half.

“Defensively I was very proud, I mean the score doesn’t really show it, but it was a very defensive game for both teams. We gave up the first long touchdown of just a mistake – one linebacker just not shifting over.” 

Intercepted by the Wolves with 7 seconds left at the 1 yard line.

— Chris Sale Szn (@MatthewRothman6) October 29, 2022

The Wolves lone touchdown came from an incredible play on special teams. A kickoff in the third quarter was returned to make it a 16-6 game at that point.

Still, a struggle that the Wolves continue to have is their diffusion by the end of the game. Their roster depth is slim, and any missing player contributes to extra work for another player. 

Looking forward but appreciating the present

Overall, it was an eventful evening for Saint Francis. The school celebrated its senior night, and Dalton Dean, Christian Starke, and Enrique Viana were recognized during halftime by their teammates, coaches, friends, and family. 

The Wolves play the Bell Bulldogs next Friday with hopes to continue making improvements and maybe even come up with a victory.