After a few heartbreaking losses in last year’s sections, the BSM boys’ soccer, football, and volleyball teams have bounced back. With victories over Orono, SMB, and Holy Angels respectively, these BSM teams have gotten revenge on the team that previously eliminated them. It seemed like Deja Vu when the same semifinal matchups fell into place two years in a row, but unlike 2021, the Red Knights won.

Last year, the first team to go out was boys soccer, ending their 13-3-2 season rather early. Their most successful regular season since the State Championship run in 2011 was spoiled by Orono. A last-second goal off of a throw-in sent the Red Knights home in the section semifinals for the third straight year.

This year, when the soccer team faced Orono yet again, they were sizable underdogs. The Red Knights had already faced them in the regular season, losing 4-2 on their home turf. Orono was undefeated going into this section game, earning them the top seed in section 6AA. Senior Captain Matthew Robinson and the rest of the team took their Orono losses to heart, using it as motivation for their high-stakes elimination game. “The mindset was definitely revenge… it was motivating because we lost to them in the regular season plus I was playing for all the guys that lost to them last year,” Robinson said.

The Red Knights were out for vengeance and got exactly that. It was a hard-fought defensive battle, where Orono didn’t score a goal for the first time in two years. With a 2-0 win, the underdog Benilde advanced to the section final, finally getting their long-awaited revenge. “I’d easily consider it the most fun soccer game that I’ve played in my life. It was definitely special,” Robinson said.

Just two weeks later, the BSM volleyball team got their own chance for revenge. Their 2021 semifinal loss to Holy Angels came somewhat unexpectedly after being favored to win. With 9 returning players this year, expectations were high for performances, and those expectations were met as the Red Knights earned the second seed in section 6AAA.

When the matchup against Holy Angels fell into place, the aspect of payback was on many of the players’ minds. BSM had already beaten them 2-0 in a regular season match, putting confidence levels high. Senior Captain Lily Eigner knew it was their time to shine. “We used our frustrations from last year to fuel and drive us through the match…we came in with confidence,” Eigner said.

Each set was decided by just a few points, leaving many on the edge of their seats the entire game. As the match lasted over two hours, the team needed to stay mentally engaged. The Red Knights came away with a nail-biting 3-2 victory, winning the final set 15-7 and continuing their postseason run. “We were more focused on the mental side of the game because we already knew our physical abilities were there … I’m really proud of us for fighting as hard as we did,” Eigner said.

Just the next morning following BSM volleyball’s victory, the football team had the opportunity to complete the full revenge tour. In both 2019 and 2021, BSM football was eliminated to SMB – A combination of St. Paul Academy, Minnehaha Academy, and The Blake School. Last year the semifinal matchup between the two teams resulted in a 10-3 victory for SMB, ending hopes of a section final run after a disappointing regular season.

Both teams fought their way to the same spot yet again this year, and both teams were eager to advance to the final. With BSM’s history of losing to SMB, the mentality was different for them. Senior offensive lineman Will Howell has felt both postseason losses to them and didn’t plan on a third. “We were very much going out for revenge. Especially because my freshman year we lost to them, and then we lost to them again last year so I already hated SMB. Benilde has never beat them before, so we were all really excited to beat them this year,” Howell said.
With a 25-7 success, BSM got their payback. After an 0-8 regular season, the section final felt unreachable at one point, but they got it done. “We were just focused on our mentality going into the game. Everyone just had to do their job and we’d escape with the win. Overall it’s my favorite game of the year by far, it was our biggest game of the year up to that point and it felt especially good to finally beat them,” Howell said

Overall, the excitement of revenge made for a successful season for the Red Knights football, soccer, and volleyball teams. They were able to mentally persevere and accomplish what they weren’t able to in years prior. BSM advanced to the section finals, leaving them with something to be proud of regardless of how their seasons ended.