ShawneeDispatch.com

Bonner Springs — With regular go-to running back Ben Reynoldson sidelined with an injury, the St. James Academy football team knew it would have its hands full with Tonganoxie.

Fortunately for the Thunder, Avril Morrisette was more than capable of handling the load in Reynoldson’s absence. The junior romped for 207 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries as the Thunder rallied for a 13-7 victory at David Jaynes Stadium.

“He took full advantage of his opportunity,” Thunder coach John Muehlberger said of Morrisette’s performance. “He laid it on the ground a few times during the week and we were worried about that, but he concentrated on (protecting the ball) and busted two big runs when we were down in our own territory.”

Morrisette’s long runs were critical to the Thunder’s success, but in the early minutes it looked like Tonganoxie would be the team making the most plays.

The Chieftains got the ball to start the game and immediately went to work on the ground. They marched 71 yards on 14 plays — all runs — and used five different ball carriers. Quarterback Zack Robinson capped the drive with a 13-yard QB keeper. Robinson then kicked the extra point and gave the Chieftains a 7-0 lead with 5:34 left in the opening quarter.

St. James fumbled on the ensuing kickoff return and turned the ball over. Instead of unleashing another extensive drive on the ground, Tonganoxie coughed the ball back up and Christian Moffitt recovered the ball for the Thunder.

The Thunder struggled to move the ball for most of the first half, but their defense stiffened up after the opening drive and forced the Chieftains into two three-and-outs and a turnover before halftime.

St. James’ first successful offensive series came midway through the second quarter when it launched a 12-play drive that encompassed nearly six minutes. While most of the drive involved running plays, the two biggest chunks of yardage came through the air as quarterback Jim Getto connected with receiver Christian Mata for 26-yard grab early in the drive and then found receiver Dan Baird for a 25-yard scoring strike as he dragged three Chieftains into the endzone. Mata’s extra point tied the score at 7-7 with 4:17 left in the first half. That score held up through intermission.

The Thunder began feeding Morrisette the ball early in the second half. He had four carries for 29 yards on the opening drive of the third quarter, but an incomplete pass and a sack halted the early drive. The Thunder defense — thanks to two tackles by Moffitt — forced a quick three-and-out.

Mata hauled in a 39-yard over-the-shoulder grab on the next drive. Moments later the pair hooked up again for a 15-yard gain on a slant route that gave the Thunder first-and-goal at the 6-yard line. A holding penalty negated a touchdown run by Morrisette, and Mata later missed a field goal attempt.

Despite the fruitless drive, the St. James offense was revving up. On its next possession Morrisette ripped a 32-yard run on a toss play to the left side. Again the drive stalled, but the Thunder discovered a play that worked. On its next drive it went with the toss play on the first play from scrimmage. Morrisette received big blocks from Baird and Mata and streaked 78 yards down the sideline to the Tonganoxie 5-yard line. On the next play Morrisette plunged into the endzone for the go-ahead score. The 2-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but St. James led 13-7 with 7:18 left in the game.

The Thunder stepped up the defensive pressure the rest of the way. Moffitt led the way as he batted down a pass and repeatedly shut down the Chieftains’ multi-faceted running game.

“The difference in our team is night and day compared to when he’s in there and not in there,” Muehlberger said of Moffitt. “We were struggling with that little play where the quarterback and fullback are together and he got to where he was just tackling both of them for a while.”

After trading punts, Tonganoxie attempted to rally in the closing minutes. Daniel Kindel picked off a pass by Robinson, however, and the Thunder were able to run out the clock.

Getto balanced out Morrisette’s big game on the ground by having success through the air. He completed seven of 19 passes for a touchdown and an interception. Mata was his favorite target with four catches for 89 yards. Robinson led Tonganoxie with 62 yards rushing and a touchdown on 13 carries. Five other Chieftains combined to carry the ball 27 times for 81 yards.

Tonganoxie fell to 4-2 with the loss. Meanwhile, St. James improved to 4-2, giving it the most wins in a season in school history. The victory also gives the Thunder momentum entering Class 4A district play next week.

“This one was pretty important,” Morrisette said. “We need to build off of this so we can be ready for districts and just come out and play.”

St. James opens district play at 7 p.m. Friday at De Soto.