DELL RAPIDS — St. Mary’s wasted no time Thursday, October 22nd, in the opening round of the 9B playoffs, exploding for 32 first-quarter points and cruising to a 60-8 win over Irene-Wakonda at Dell Rapids High School. The game ended in the third quarter under the 50-point rule, but by then the Cardinals had already put together a complete performance on both sides of the ball — scoring on the ground and through the air while limiting the Eagles to 87 total yards.
Fast start sets the tone
St. Mary’s struck quickly behind Thomas LaVoy, who scored three times in the opening quarter. LaVoy opened the scoring with a three-yard touchdown run at the 6:42 mark, and the Cardinals converted the two-point try to go up 8-0. After recovering the ensuing kickoff, St. Mary’s went right back to work — LaVoy broke free for a 32-yard touchdown run at 6:32 to make it 16-0. The Cardinals’ defense kept the pressure on, highlighted by a Jaxon Baumberger interception at 6:00. Less than a minute later, St. Mary’s cashed in through the air as Brady Jewett hit Baumberger for a 47-yard touchdown at 5:52, pushing the lead to 24-0. LaVoy capped the first-quarter surge with a 16-yard touchdown run at 1:34, and another two-point conversion made it 32-0.
Cardinals keep piling on
St. Mary’s opened the second quarter with another big play, as Jewett connected with Jake Heinitz on a 40-yard touchdown pass at 11:48. The Cardinals again added the two-point conversion to extend the lead to 40-0. Irene-Wakonda got on the board with a three-yard touchdown run at 3:38 and a two-point conversion to make it 40-8, but St. Mary’s answered quickly. Jewett found Baumberger for a 23-yard touchdown at 2:55, and the conversion attempt was no good, keeping it 46-8.
In the third quarter, LaVoy ripped off a 49-yard touchdown run at 11:52, and St. Mary’s converted the two-point attempt to make it 54-8. The final score came at 8:12 when Jacob Geraets hit Isaac Ahlers for a nine-yard touchdown pass, closing the scoring at 60-8.
By the numbers
St. Mary’s finished with 378 total yards — 234 rushing and 144 passing — while holding Irene-Wakonda to 87 total yards (75 rushing, 12 passing).
- Thomas LaVoy: 7 carries, 143 yards, 4 TD
- Brady Jewett: 4 carries, 34 yards; 5-for-7 passing, 135 yards, 3 TD
- Isaac Griffin: 1 carry, 31 yards
- Jake Heinitz: 1 catch, 40 yards, TD
- Jaxon Baumberger: 3 catches, 77 yards, 2 TD; INT
Defensively, St. Mary’s was led by:
- Kade Lutt: 4.5 tackles
- Liam Barr: 3 tackles, 1 sack
- Theo Miller: 3 tackles
- Jaxon Baumberger: 1 tackle, 1 INT
