Spartans past test with flying colors

ROXBURY ? For the first time all season, St. Mary’s was tested. Luckily for the Spartans, they all walked away with aces.The St. Mary’s defense hunkered down in the second half and the Spartan offense capitalized on a key special teams play en route to a 23-14 victory over host Madison Park High School.Coach Matt Durgin said he was happy with the way his troops responded to the challenge.”The kids answered the bell,” he said. “We knew coming in this would be a very tough game, and the effort was great all around.”Coming out of halftime with a 15-14 lead, the Spartans stepped up their effort. A tipped punt late in the third gave them excellent field position at the Madison Park 37, and St. Mary’s wasted little time capitalizing.Led by Steve Carroll and Todd Collier, the Spartans marched downfield, eating up precious time as they advanced. On the eighth play of the drive, Carroll dove in from a yard out, and Josh Stueve’s kick gave St. Mary’s a 23-15 lead.The Cardinals had two more chances after the score, but each drive ended in a turnover on downs. The Spartan defense held the Cardinals to -7 yards in the second half.”People got their feet moving running to the football,” Durgin said. “I thought the whole defense played well in the second half.”Early on, it seemed St. Mary’s would have no trouble. The opening kickoff bounced off the chest of a Madison Park player, and Stueve recovered to give the Spartans possession. Five plays later, quarterback Cam Mulvey found a wide-open Nick Day deep down the middle for a 37-yard scoring strike. Stueve’s extra point made it 7-0, Spartans.”We just had some breakdowns,” Cardinals coach Roosevelt Robinson said. “It just went that way. We just couldn’t get it together the way we wanted to get it together.”Madison Park stayed in it thanks largely to its running game. Early in the second, the Cardinals took an 8-7 lead on Chris Philyaw’s 2-yard rush and conversion.St. Mary’s went three-and-out before Madison Park struck again. Alex Hawkins broke loose for a 46-yard score on the next Cardinal drive, giving them a 14-7 advantage.The Spartans again went three-and-out before a key turnover changed the game. Madison Park quarterback Khayree Hudson fumbled late in the half, and the Spartans’ Jeff Peras recovered the ball at the Madison Park 17. Two plays later, Todd Collier broke for a 21-yard touchdown, and his conversion gave the Spartans a 15-14 lead at the half, setting the stage for the strong finish.