BOCA RATON — One week after losing its starting quarterback, St. Andrew's discovered it still has plenty of ways to win.
The Scots leaned on a dominant defense, a punishing running game and a game-changing special teams performance Friday night to defeat St. John Paul II Academy 49-12 at Don Jones Memorial Field.
St. Andrew's (1-1) forced four turnovers, returned an interception for a touchdown and scored on a blocked punt while sophomore Markese Vaughn and freshman Zion Charles each rushed for two touchdowns.
The convincing victory came after senior quarterback Jack Williams suffered a knee injury in last week's loss to King's Academy that is expected to sideline him for 8 to 10 weeks.
With freshman Kingston George and eighth-grader Loukas Rettas
sharing quarterback duties, the Scots avoided mistakes and let their defense take control.
"Our defense is the backbone of our team," St. Andrew's coach Jimmy Robertson said. "Usually it's our offense that's carrying us. Now our defense is really good under coach Eric Coleman."
The Scots needed little time to seize control.
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A 78-yard opening drive ended with Vaughn's 18-yard touchdown run. Two plays later, Wes Winn intercepted St. John Paul quarterback Julian Ayala's first pass and returned it 43 yards for a score.
Minutes later, Henry Rahe blocked a punt, recovered it and returned it 27 yards for another touchdown as St. Andrew's built a 21-0 lead less than nine minutes into the game.
"We watched a lot of film this week, and the scout team did a phenomenal job giving us great looks," Winn said. "I kind of knew the play was coming and was in the right spot at the right time. Our defense was amazing."
Rahe credited the coaching staff for preparing the special teams unit for the opportunity.
"I just executed what the coaches taught me," Rahe said. "That really ended the game early. It kills their spirit. Special teams domination is really crucial."
The early cushion allowed George and Rettas to settle into the game. Neither threw an interception, and Rettas delivered one of the night's biggest highlights when he escaped pressure and connected with Jack Whelchel for a 27-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
"It was a beautiful play," Whelchel said. "Good coverage, but a better ball. It shows how good of a player he is and how great he's going to become."
Robertson was encouraged by both young quarterbacks.
"It always stinks losing your starting quarterback, but we threw those kids into the fire and they have talent," Robertson said. "Kingston George showed great composure and leadership. Loukas can really sling the ball. This is just the start for him."
Vaughn led the ground attack with 98 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, while Charles added 40 yards and two scores on just five rushes.
Despite finishing with more total yards than St. Andrew's (284-281), St. John Paul could not overcome the turnovers and early special teams breakdowns.
First-year Eagles coach Gad Jacobs, who served as St. Andrew's defensive coordinator last season, said the opening sequence fundamentally changed the game.
"That sequence where they had an interception return and blocked a punt for a return — boom — just like that it's out of hand," Jacobs said. "It's hard to come back when you're down 21-0 five or six minutes into the game."
St. John Paul was led by receiver Joziah Ferrer, who caught five passes for 128 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown reception. Ayala finished 14-of-24 passing for 217 yards but was intercepted four times.
"Having a strong defense will help our young quarterbacks a lot," Whelchel said. "We're going to have to lean on our side a little bit. They're really good quarterbacks, but we need to keep making plays and helping them out."
St. Andrew’s 49, St. John Paul II Academy 12
St. John Paul 0 6 0 6 – 12
St. Andrew’s 21 14 7 7 – 49
First quarter
- SA–Vaughn 18 run (Whelchel kick), 6:31.
- SA–Winn 43 interception return (Whelchel kick), 6:12.
- SA–Rate 27 blocked punt return (Whelchel kick), 3:18.
Second quarter
- SA–Vaughn 23 run (Rosner kick), 10:37.
- SA–Charles 20 run (Rosner kick), 3:47.
- SJP–Ferrer 75 pass from Ayala (run failed), 3:24.
Third quarter
- SA–Charles 3 run (Rosner kick), 6:10.
- SA–Whelchel 27 pass from Rettas (Rosner kick), 5:07.
- SJP–Jones 8 run (pass failed), 0:00.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING–St. Andrews: Vaughn 10-98, Charles 5-40, George 1-0. Totals: 18-130. St. John Paul: Yiadom 5-54, Jones 7-9, Ayala 4-7, Rosado 1-0, Cange 3-minus 3. Totals: 20-67
PASSING–St. Andrews: George 8-14-0-66, Rettas 6-10-0-85. St. John Paul: Ayala 14-24-4-217.
RECEIVING–St. Andrew’s: Winn 7-56, Messier 2-32, Cabrera-Hock 2-20, St.Jean 2-16, Whelchel 1-27. St. John Paul: Ferrer 5-128, Fennelus 2-33, Cocuzzo 2-20, Henry 1-22, Rosado 1-9.
TOTAL TEAM YARDS–St. Andrew’s 281, St. John Paul 284
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Saint Andrew's football, down its starting QB, rights ship against SJP
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