ShawneeDispatch.com

St. James Academy football coach John Muehlberger summed up his team in a simple statement: "We're certainly not boring."

Presented as Exhibit A of Muehlberger's evidence: his team's drama-packed 31-30 come-from-behind victory over Christ Prep Friday night at David Jaynes Stadium.

The Thunder darted to an early lead, let it slip away and then orchestrated a 74-yard scoring drive in the final 56 seconds to win the game.

"It was an exciting game," Muehlberger said. "Both teams were four-wide most of the time, shotgun (formation) : I'm sure it was a fun game to watch."

St. James, in just its second year as a varsity program, is 1-0 for the first time in school history and took a big step toward improving upon last year's 3-4 record.

The game didn't look like it would be close in the early moments. Christ Prep won last year's matchup 19-7, but it was St. James that struck first on Friday.

Quarterback Jim Getto fired an early touchdown pass to wide receiver Christian Mata. Soon thereafter, a bad snap by St. James on a punt attempt turned into a Christ Prep safety and made the score 7-2.

Later in the first half Getto passed to Ben Reynoldson for a long gain to the 1-yard line. Getto snuck the ball into the endzone on the ensuing play and gave the Thunder a 14-2 lead.

Christ Prep scored just before halftime and converted the two-point conversion to make it 14-10 at intermission.

A touchdown run by Reynoldson early in the third quarter gave the Thunder a 20-10 advantage.

Just as St. James appeared to be seizing control, a combination of things occurred. First, Christ Prep dug in and responded. Second, the Thunder made a few mistakes and paid the price.

"Christ Prep came back and we gave up some big plays," Muehlberger said. "All of a sudden they were up 22-21."

St. James responded with a fourth-quarter drive that culminated with a field goal by Mata with about four minutes left. The Thunder led 24-22, but that lead wasn't safe.

Christ Prep took advantage of poor coverage on the ensuing kickoff and to create a short field situation. With 56 seconds left they punched in a touchdown. The 2-point conversion made it 30-24.

The youth-laden Thunder - they have just eight seniors on their roster - showed veteran poise in the face of that adversity. Their final drive began at the 26-yard line. Facing third-and-5 from the 31, they ran a hook-and-ladder play.

"A gimmick play that never works," Muehlberger described it.

It worked.

After the snap Getto fired the ball to Mata. Meanwhile, Reynoldson ran a 10-yard curl route. With two tacklers hitting him, Mata pitched the ball to Reynoldson who was finally stopped at the 2-yard line. The 67-yard gain set up a 2-yard touchdown plunge by fullback Derek Feist with 19 seconds left. Mata kicked the extra point that provided the final margin of victory.

Mata finished the game with more than 100 yards receiving and Reynoldson eclipsed the 100-yard mark for rushing yards.

Muehlberger had plenty of praise for Christ Prep after the game, but he also was impressed with his own team for its ability to find a way to win.

"It definitely shows the character we're trying to build in those guys to come back like they did," he said.

St. James next plays at 7 p.m. Friday at Schlagle.