The Benilde-St. Margaret’s boys’ football team (8-3) has officially punched its ticket to state on Halloween night at the StarDome. The team’s thrilling 12-7 section final victory against their number 1-seeded rival, the Academy of Holy Angels Stars (8-2), is a highlight for the team and hopes to continue their winning streak into the state tournament.
Earlier in the regular season, the Red Knights suffered an emotional overtime loss against the Stars (6-14). With BSM now being the underdogs, this rematch gave the team a chance to come back for the section final, ultimately leading to a victorious friday night. “The game definitely got physical, but the big difference between this game and the one that we lost earlier in the season to them is that we didn’t need to take any penalties. So being able to keep our composure and not lose yards to penalties was huge,” senior Will Krusemark said.
Their quarterfinal game will be played tonight with a 7:00 kickoff in Brainerd against the number 64-ranked team in the state, the Grand Rapids Thunderhawks, with BSM being ranked 74th in the state.
Reflecting on the season, the team is very proud of how far they’ve come. “We started off tough the first two games, but we went through a lot of injuries this year, so we’ve had to come together and battle through that and have like some younger guys step up and make plays for us,” senior captain Payton Meyers said.
With the team’s last state tournament win in 2016, the Red Knights look to carry on their legacy of being a powerhouse when it comes to sections and state. The preparation for big games like these is a significant factor when it comes to game time. “Pre-game, we do prayer a lot differently, rather than at the end of school, going in and praying with Mr. J, removed it to an hour and a half before the game, which I think helped a lot of guys just lock in a little bit more,” senior Joe Schumacher said.