St. Anthony football scores late to beat Wilson

LONG BEACH >> Deshaun Harvey was the spark St. Anthony needed on Friday against Wilson, with the quarterback picking up a crucial third down in the fourth quarter before throwing the winning touchdown in a 14-6 victory at Clark Field.

The Saints (2-0) have won 13 consecutive games at home, and this is their first victory over the Bruins (1-2) in more than 25 years. The local rivalry wasn’t played between 1989 and 2013.

“Harvey has the ability to make plays on both sides of the ball as well as throwing and running,” St. Anthony coach Mario Morales said. “It’s only his second game at St. Anthony. In the past when we’ve had new quarterbacks it takes them a while to get seasoned. But (Harvey) has quickly shown this team his grit and determination.”

Harvey completed 11 of 18 passes for 130 yards that included the 27-yard touchdown pass to Evan Rodriguez, who also ran for 105 yards on 15 carries.

Harvey said a halftime talk changed everything for the Saints offense.

“We had to change the game plan because we didn’t know our assignments well enough,” Harvey said. “I’m quickly picking up more material and that makes my reads a lot easier. I’m learning with every play.”

Wilson had two fourth-quarter possessions end in turnovers after Harvey’s touchdown pass. Bruins quarterback Dylan Herrera was intercepted by Alex Palacio near midfield with about five minutes remaining. After St. Anthony turned the ball over on downs deep in Wilson territory, Herrera completed three consecutive passes to get the Bruins in scoring position. However, Herrera fumbled at the St. Anthony 20-yard line on a roll out with 28 seconds left, and Saints senior Zion Asuega recovered the loose ball.

“We’re the Purple People Eaters and that’s just what we do because we don’t lose here,” Palacio said of the St. Anthony defense that limited Wilson to 175 total yards. The Saints haven’t allowed an offensive touchdown this year.

“This defense prides itself on shutouts,” Morales said. “They’re going to be a big part of any success we have this year. They’re a fun group to watch.”

Both defenses traded blows during a relatively uneventful first quarter, and both offenses had opportunities to take the lead in the second quarter. Wilson got into the red zone on running back Ian Issa’s 30-yard run down to the St. Anthony 10-yard line. The Bruins were stopped at the 2-yard line on third down by Saints linebackers Noah Nieto and Brandon Barry. Wilson kicker Drew Owens hit his first attempt, but the Bruins were called for a false start. Owens’ second attempt from 25 yards out was blocked by Nieto.

Harvey got his team out of its own end with a 32-yard run on the ensuing play. The Saints got all the way to the Wilson 6-yard line when Harvey’s backwards pass was mishandled and recovered by Bruins linebacker Neil Averil. St. Anthony tried a field goal on the last play of the first half, but the snap was fumbled.

Harvey led a 13-play scoring drive to start the third quarter. He picked up a long third down conversion on a screen pass to running back Jaylen Jefferson, and after a roughing the kicker call extended the drive sophomore Donovan Castillo scored from seven yards out for a 6-0 lead.

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Issa took the ensuing kickoff back 85 yards for the touchdown, but the extra point was blocked. Issa finished with 70 yards on 15 carries. Palacio ran in the two-point conversion after the Rodriguez touchdown catch to make it an eight point game.

St. Anthony is ranked No. 2 in CIF-SS Division 9 and will visit St. Paul next week while Wilson hosts Huntington Beach.