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QB Murphy passes for two TDs, runs one in for Panthers 

After crunching out algebraic equations all morning Saturday, St. Mary’s running back Trestin George stepped on the football field in a Bay Shore Athletic League game and did the same to the John Swett defense. 

George was one of six St. Mary’s players, including all three team captains, who took the SAT on Saturday morning. 

“In the morning my concentration was on the test,” said George, who piled up 133 rushing yards and scored one touchdown to help his team to a 38-3 victory over John Swett in the BSAL season opener for both teams. “I had to get my work done but when I stepped out in the field it was all business.” 

“That’s what St. Mary’s teaches,” said linebacker Omarr Flood, who took the test and also had a standout defensive performance with one sack. “To be 100 percent both in the classroom and the football field. We came out and played four quarters of football and dominated. It’s traditional St. Mary’s football.” 

St. Mary’s scored on five of its first seven possessions while holding John Swett to a mere field goal. 

“We were worried about Trestin,” John Swett head coach John Angell said. “He’s a good runner. Every coach in the league will be worrying about him. We tried stopping the run and the pass got us.” 

Lawson said John Swett was stacking the line with nine defenders trying to stop George.  

“We threw early to take advantage of them stopping the run,” he said.  

On its first possession St. Mary’s scored when quarterback Steve Murphy connected with wide receiver Ryan Coogler on a 32-yard touchdown pass. The drive took just four plays. 

On its next possession St. Mary’s running game opened up another scoring opportunity. Again, it was Murphy throwing a 27-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Coogler. George had five runs for 51 yards on the drive. 

George said it was a mistake to focus solely on him. 

“They came into the game thinking all they had to do was stop me, but we have to many weapons,” he said. “If they focus on the run we beat them with the pass. If they focus on the pass with beat them with the run. (We’re) like the St. Louis Rams.” 

After Swett’s first two possessions resulted in punts, kicker Morgan Edwards kicked a 32-yard field goal for the team’s only score of the game. 

John Swett’s defense seemed to run out of gas in the second half as each of St. Mary’s scores came off very short drives. 

The first score came just four plays into the half. After faking a hand off to George, Murphy ran a quarterback keeper up the middle, broke five tackles and ran 41 yards for the touchdown. 

The second score consisted of just two plays. The score came when George ran wide to the left, broke one tackle and had a wide open 52 yard touchdown run. 

The third score in the second half came when Julian Taylor ran up the middle, broke one tackle and found himself in the open field for a 39-yard touchdown run. Wide receiver Courtney Brown caught the two point conversion to make it 38-3. 

The win raised the Panthers’ record to 2-4, while Swett fell to 1-5. 

“I told my players before the game that as far as we were concerned we were 0 and 0,” said Lawson, St. Mary’s head coach. “Our mission is to go 5 and 0 and go to the playoffs. This one is done. Now we’re getting ready for (next week’s oppenent) St. Patrick’s.” 

John Swett head coach John Angell said his team struggled because injuries are catching up on his team.  

“A lot of the kids were trying to play hurt,” he said. “With a small school there’s not much you can do when two or three starters go down.” 

Despite the loss, Angell was happy with his team’s performance. 

“St. Mary’s is one of the top teams in the league,” he said. “I feel we did pretty good. We’re in the process of rebuilding.” 

In an earlier game St. Mary’s junior varsity scored 22 points in the second half to beat John Swett 22-12.