Wolves bring home a win in Homecoming clash against John F. Kennedy Cougars

The Wolves defeated the number one ranked Class 3A John F. Kennedy Cougars on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, at Hunter Stadium, wrapping up a historic Homecoming week at Saint Paul’s School that featured dress-down days, basketball tournaments, and the first glow-in-the-dark pep rally.

With the stands filled to max capacity and the student section roaring, the game was set to begin with the Wolves receiving the opening kickoff.

Offensive Coordinator Kenny Sears III made it clear to fans from the get-go that he planned to establish the run early and often to keep the ball out of the Cougars’ hands for as long as possible.

Four of the first five offensive snaps for the Wolves were successful rush attempts, but a Cougars tackle for loss had the Wolves up for an early third and six near midfield. Saint Paul’s Quarterback Brennan Keim would roll out to pass but was strip-sacked, leading to an early punt for junior Andrew Iennusa. However, the punt from Iennusa, tacked on with a holding penalty against the Cougars, would pin them inside their own 10-yard line for their opening drive.

The Cougars’ opening drive would go similar to the Wolves’, as junior pass rusher Gage Brown would score his first of two sacks to force a Cougars punt from their own endzone.

With the ball back in the offense’s hands, the Wolves would return to their game plan, running the football. As they approached the red zone for the first time, the Wolves faced a third and five. With the run game working early, Sears chose to hand the ball off to workhorse running back Troy Willis, who took it 23 yards for the touchdown. 

Fans roared, and the band sounded off as senior kicker Drew Talley tacked on the extra point, making the score 7-0.

However, the Cougars were unfazed, using an air raid attack to march down the field and inside the Wolves’ 10-yard line. On first and goal, quarterback Amyne Darensbourg fired a touchdown pass to receiver James Evans, but Evans was flagged for an illegal shift, taking 7 points off the Cougars’ scoreboard.

This penalty would prove to be costly, as in the following play, Darensbourg would be intercepted by senior Deke Carpenter in the endzone.

Snatching the turnover chain, Carpenter would get his squad fired up as they maintained an early lead on the Cougars.

However, the Wolves offense failed to capitalize on the turnover, as the Cougars’ defense held them to a fourth and nine. With the punt unit on the field, the snap went high over Iennusa’s head, resulting in a safety and flipping the game’s momentum in favor of the Cougars.

This would mark the end of an action-packed first quarter, with the Wolves leading the Cougars 7-2.

As the second quarter opened, the Cougars began marching down the field, and Hunter Stadium grew eerily quiet. However, the silence would not last long as Brown would notch his second sack of the game, followed directly by a sack from junior Brett West. The two sacks had pushed the Cougars back for a long field goal attempt, which went wide left, keeping the score 7-2. 

The Wolves offense continued its first-half struggles, as a fourth and one conversion would be called back due to a false start, sending Iennusa back onto the field for his third punt of the first half.

Passing the halfway mark of the second quarter, the Cougars showed new life in their offense, with one explosive play after another. The pass-heavy drive would be capped off with a 14-yard connection between Darensbourg and Evans, giving the Cougars their first lead of the game. 

As the Wolves offense felt a sense of urgency, they trotted onto the field with a little more than three minutes remaining in the first half, hoping to regain the lead. However, on second and ten, Keim fired a pass picked off by the defense and returned inside the Wolves’ five-yard line.

The Cougars, with all the momentum, would take advantage of the mistake as Darensbourg and Evans would connect again in the endzone, giving the Cougars a decisive 16-7 lead going into halftime.

As both teams regrouped and game-planned off the field, Saint Paul’s Marching Wolves and Golden Blues kicked off the extended halftime with a show-stopping performance. 

Drum Majors Connor Russo and Nico Perdigao led the band routine that included impressive dance moves, cartwheels, and even backflips before the Golden Blues stole the show with their patented Rockette high kicks. Fans, friends, and family cheered for the Marching Wolves and Golden Blues as they soaked in the moment following their grand finale of Saint Paul’s fight song.

The 2024 Homecoming Court was then recognized.

Seven Saint Scholastica Academy students were named as maids for this year’s Homecoming Court, including five seniors (Sarah Hipps, Sophia Mangano, Luciana McGinnis, Ryleigh Schwing, and Caroline Hodges) and two juniors (Izzy Henderson and Jaycee Sercovich). Each of the seven members of the homecoming court was nominated and escorted by a current Saint Paul’s student, along with a member of the Saint Paul’s class of 2000. 

Keeping with the Homecoming tradition, the 2023 Homecoming queen, Hadley Mary, was in attendance to crown this year’s Homecoming queen, Sarah Hipps. 

Students, fans, and parents alike gave overwhelming support and cheers to the 2024 Homecoming Court.

After the extended intermission, the two teams returned to the field for a second half of football. The Cougars were set to receive the kick, hoping to make a statement and potentially put the game out of reach.

Darensbourg and the high-powered Cougars offense began to put together another impressive drive, but back-to-back penalties had set them back to a third and 30 inside Wolves territory. Hoping to put the team in field goal range, Darensbourg dropped back to pass and fired over the middle, where the ball was tipped twice by linebacker Dylan Post and safety Aiden Brooks before cornerback Carter Cambre swooped in for the interception. 

Following an impressive return by Cambre, the Wolves opened their second-half campaign already in scoring position.

While it was clear the Wolves had made some adjustments during halftime, one goal stayed the same: establish the run. 

The Wolves did just that, and a 20-yard run by Willis plus a facemask penalty against the Cougars had set them up inside the five-yard line, where senior Chase Ravain punched it home on third down for the score.

Energy had been restored to Hunter Stadium as the Wolves narrowed their deficit to two early into the second half.

The following drive for the Cougars would be riddled with impressive third-down conversions, but multiple holding penalties were too much to overcome. The Wolves had forced the first Cougars punt since their opening drive and had an opportunity to retake the lead.

With the Wolves back on offense, penalties continued to be a concern for the Cougars. Another facemask penalty and an aggressive rushing attack by Willis and Ravain pushed the Wolves back into the red zone.

On third and two with just over 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the Wolves stuck with the ground game and put the ball in the hands of Willis, who was able to evade defenders and spin-off tacklers as he scampered for an 11-yard touchdown rush, his second of the game. Kiem would roll out and find Ravain for the two-point conversion, meaning the Wolves had climbed back from their nine-point deficit to lead 22-16 at the end of the third quarter.

The Cougars would continue to shoot themselves in the foot offensively, as a monster 35-yard connection between Darensbourg and Evans that would have put the Cougars near the red zone would be called back for a holding penalty. Subsequently, the penalty would stall their drive, and the Cougars would be forced to punt the ball back to the Wolves again.

With merely 11 minutes remaining in the game, the Wolves would once again trust Ravain and Willis’s rushing attack to drain the clock and put the game out of reach.

This boom-and-zoom attack would take nearly seven minutes off the clock and march the Wolves down the field.

With 4:27 remaining in the game, Saint Paul’s coaching staff would be left with a difficult decision: trot Talley onto the field to attempt a school-record 53-yard field goal or let the offense try to put the game away with a conversion on fourth and seven.

After taking a timeout to discuss, the staff chose to have faith in their kicker, Talley, who proceeded to confidently march onto the field and drill the 53-yarder, breaking the Saint Paul’s record and giving the Wolves a 25-16, two-possession lead with four minutes remaining.

Talley highlighted focus as his guide for each kick when asked about the school record field goal following the matchup. “Focus,” Talley said, “Just thinking about routine. Trying to keep my mind clear and treat it just like every other kick.”

Fans across Hunter Stadium erupted once more as they were so close to victory they could taste it, but the job was not over yet.

In the student section, excitement brewed as the cheerleaders gathered to discuss who would be this week’s “Fan of the Week.” In an unprecedented move, the cheerleaders chose to have co-fans of the week, naming sophomore Christopher Bonanno and senior Noah Montz the recipients of their coveted T-shirts. Students of all classes applauded as they saw some of their own get recognized for their effort in cheering their team to victory.

Montz reiterated a supporting mentality when asked about winning fan of the week for this year’s Homecoming game. “It meant a lot to win fan of the week at the Homecoming game, especially showing out and giving my boys the support they deserve in order to win a season-defying game,” Montz said.

Back on the field, an exhausted Cougars team marched out in desperation mode while the Wolves stayed calm and collected. Forcing a swift turnover on downs, the Wolves’ defense gave the ball right back to their offense with an opportunity to ice the game.

However, the Cougars were not done putting up a fight. With 2:11 left in the fourth quarter, an ensuing Talley field goal attempt was blocked and returned near midfield, giving the Cougars one last breath of hope. 

Darensbourg and his high-powered offense aired it out in clutch time, picking apart the Wolves’ defense and connecting with Evans in the endzone for the third time with 41 seconds left in the game. The following two-point conversion attempt would be picked off by Post, leaving the score 25-22. 

The Cougars had used all of their second-half timeouts, meaning an onside kick recovery would be their final chance for a comeback. However, it was shut down quickly as Ravain pounced on the ball, securing the Wolves’ victory over the top-ranked Cougars.

Following the victory, in which the Wolves rushed for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns, Ravain was asked about the team’s game plan to pound the rock. “Simply put,” he said, “We banked on the run, and it hit.”

The Wolves hope this clutch homecoming performance will help earn them the right to return home to Hunter Stadium when it matters most by way of hosting a home playoff game.

Feature Image via Joey Michel Photography

Published By: vinceiomontalbano2025

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