By Ray Hamill — After a sloppy six-turnover performance by his team in Saturday’s season opener, St. Bernard’s head football coach Matt Tomlin will be hoping for a much cleaner performance against Heritage this coming weekend.
The Crusaders turned the ball over on their first three possessions in each half, but they overcame those mistakes to beat North Coast Section powerhouse St. Vincent de Paul 21-20.
A TD run by quarterback Trenten Hagler in the dying seconds and a two-point conversion pass from kicker Cal Figas to receiver Henry Hinrichs saw the Crusaders overcome a 20-13 deficit and secure the unlikely win.
And while the winning start and exciting finish were definite positives, it was far from pretty for a St. Bernard’s team that has high expectations this fall.
The Mustangs also turned the ball over three times.
“I thought it was a sloppy game as far as the turnovers are concerned,” Tomlin said. “I thought we turned the ball over entirely too much. We have to learn to really value possessions and get better.
“But I liked the courage we showed to stay in the game.”
The team defense was a bright spot, as the Crusaders D kept them in the game and came away with three crucial takeaways.
No one epitomized that fight more than senior linebacker Robert Sirrine, who enjoyed an outstanding start to the new season and had numerous big plays at crucial times.
The senior team leader finished with a game-high 14 tackles, including 12 solo, and he also had four tackles for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
“Robert Sirrine was the reason we won that game,” Tomlin said. “It seemed like every time we needed a stop he was the guy who made the play. He played above and beyond.”
Hagler completed 13-of-20 passes for 149 yards, two TDs and four interceptions, while also rushing for 35 yards and a TD on 13 carries.
Impressive sophomore Jack Omey led the SB ground attack with 65 yards on 11 carries and also had a reception for 30 yards, while senior Garrett Shanahan led the receivers and pulled in seven catches for 73 yards and a TD.
Braedon Simpson added two receptions for 33 yards, and Figas had two catches for 13 yards and a touchdown.
In addition to Sirrine’s big afternoon on defense, Figas had 10 tackles, including nine solo, and teammate Braylon Johnson finished with eight tackles, including six solo.
Sophomores Miles Sirrine and Maddox Boham each also had a sack in the win.
The Crusaders will try to make it two straight wins to start the season when they host Heritage on Saturday afternoon.
But it won’t be easy going up against the Division-1 Patriots, who are coming off back-to-back wins over James Logan (30-10) and Castro Valley (33-13).
Saturday’s game is scheduled for 2 p.m.
