Gonzaga had to work for it to get by St. Edward Saturday, ultimately coming away with a 36-21 victory.
Newly bumped to the GRR #11 spot, St. Edward showed why they were there with a tenacious performance that saw them almost equal with the vaunted #1 Eagles after a lousy start.
Gonzaga ran in two converted tries in the first couple of minutes and led 14-0. But after that it was 22-21.
"I guess any win over a Top 15 team is a win," Gonzaga Head Coach Peter Baggetta philosophically. "We were up 14-0 and we went into cruise mode. We stopped working in the second half."
St. Edward responded to the early hole with a try and Gonzaga answered to make it 21-7 at halftime.
As the second half progressed Gonzaga was able to keep the other Eagles at arm's length, but it wasn't easy.
04.27.2024HS Boys
"We had six opportunities inside the 22 in the first half which we didn't convert," said Gonzaga's Baggetta. "So were not happy that we were not clinical enough. But credit to Ed's who never stopped playing."
Still it was a step forward for St. Edward, which, despite being tenacious (and perhaps a shade unlucky) were shut out by St. Ignatius a week ago.
"We just focused on the little stuff this past week," said St. Edward Head Coach Greg Miranda. "Making sure the simple mistakes don’t happen and we play within our heads. We have a very capable team to compete at the national level, but poor decisions happen in our tense and eager moments. Teaching these lads to not let the lights of the game overwhelm their ability to see the field, and what the next phase should bring is a focus for the remaining weeks of the season."
They certainly were able to toss aside a rough start to keep the game within their grasp, and indeed they did keep playing, scoring a try at the death to make it 36-21. They did that with some starters out due to injury and some young players stepping into the fray.
"Very proud of these lads as they held their own and immediately contributed when they saw the field," said Miranda. "Overall, very proud of these lads—their chemistry, their grit, and their brotherhood. Maybe if we didn’t make small mistakes, things would have been different against Iggy… maybe if we were at full force, things would have been different against Gonzaga. Our focus will be to get rid of the maybes next time around."
Miranda concluded with a thought echoed by Baggetta:"Grateful for the games, as that level of competition—Iggy and Gonzaga—teaches us the most about ourselves and gives us valuable lessons to improve upon. Hats off to those two great programs… can’t wait to face off again."
