Lions sweep Royals, end game with 40 point lead | News, Sports, Jobs

Nathan Beitler/MDN
Bishop Ryan Lions junior wide receiver Peyton Seay (11) leaps into the endzone at Herb Parker Stadium in their home game against the South Prairie-Max Royals on Friday, Oct. 3.

The Bishop Ryan Lions dominated in their home game against the South Prairie-Max Royals 62-12 on Friday night, October 3.

The Lions began their offensive and defensive masterclasses early into the first quarter, forcing the Royals to punt the ball to the far side 45-yard line.

The Lions were quick to take advantage of the early opportunity and scored on a 27-yard run by Lions sophomore running back Zachary Spain. Spain was able to weave through the Royals’ left-side defense and the extra point gave the Lions an early lead 7-0.

The Royals were quick to respond as they made their way back up the field when sophomore Jamesley St. Martin dropped into the and fired the ball to Junior Weston Sauby, who completed the pass and gave them first and goal.

The Royals were easily able to capitalize on the long pass and secured a touchdown with a dive through a hole in the offensive line by St. Martin.

The Royals would miss their shot at the extra point, leaving the score 7-6 for the Lions with 4 minutes 13 seconds left on the clock. Even with the Royals’ touchdown, the Lions put the pressure back on, scoring again with less than a minute lost on the clock.

Lions junior running back Nolan Braun was the one to score next, rushing the ball past several of the Royals’ defenders and bringing the score to 14-6 after the extra point.

The Royals tried to make their way back to the endzone once again, but this time were stopped on their own 46 by the Lions’ defense, turning the ball over on downs.

The Lions moved the ball quickly down the field, but were unable to score before the first quarter ended.

But Bishop Ryan would not have to wait long for their Lions to score again, just six seconds into the second quarter a pass to wide-open senior Jack Passa was caught and ran in for their third touchdown of the game. The third successful extra point put them at 21-6 early into the second quarter.

For the next 12 minutes, the Lions were relentless. With just under ten minutes left in the quarter, Spain ran the ball in for another touchdown after shaking off two Royals defenders, Seay scored his second touchdown of the game on a 55-yard run less than four minutes later and senior Augustus Engelhard was unguarded in the backfield and scored on a 52-yard passing play with less than two minutes remaining in the half.

The first half finally ended on a Royals possession. When all was said and done, the Lions walked out of the first half with a 42-6 lead after securing all six extra point attempts.

An onside kick by the Royals started the second half of the game and it was evident that the Lions were still carrying their momentum from the last quarter.

The Lions drove the ball quickly down the field on their first possession of the half and ended their drive with a 20-yard touchdown run by Nolan Braun for his second score of the game.

The Lions went seven for seven on their extra point attempts, bringing the score to 49-6 early in the second half. The Lions were then able to immediately recover a Royals fumble on kick off at the 20-yard line.

Junior running back Thomas Postula was next to drive the ball in for the Lions, rushing three yards around the right side of the defense. The Lions’ first missed extra point attempt would leave the score 55-6 as the Royals took back over possession of the ball.

The Royals held on to that possession through the end of the third quarter, and scored their second touchdown of the game with a rush up the middle by sophomore fullback Luke Moen with no time left before the fourth. The Royals failed their two point conversion, leaving the score at 55-12 heading into the last quarter of the game.

A tuck-and-roll into the endzone by Lions sophomore running back Paxton Schwan would be the first and only touchdown scored in the fourth quarter, and a successful extra point attempt would end the game with a score of 62-12 for a Lions victory.

The Royals dropped to a season record of 0-7 on the season, earning 170 offensive yards over 29 carries of the football and three completed passes.

The Lions will improve to a record of 3-3 with 491 yards of total offense. The Lions earned their yards over 32 carries of the ball and completed eight of eight pass attempts over the course of the game.

The Royals will stay on the road heading into next week’s game against Tioga High School on Saturday, Oct. 10. The Lions will also find themselves on the road for their next game, taking on Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison at Velva High the same night.