BOWIE — St. John's (D.C.) certainly tested Calvert Hall in the season opener for both schools Thursday night. The Cardinals, who lost 26 players from last year's championship team and are asking young players to step in, didn't have an easy time in the early minutes.
But No. 2 Calvert Hall eventually answered the challenge. The Cardinals received a number of big plays from quarterback Thomas Stuart and running back C.J. Williams, scoring 21 straight points to pull away for a 35-18 victory in the I-95 Kickoff Classic at Bowie State.
Stuart threw for one touchdown and ran for another, while Williams caught a touchdown pass and ran for one. Garrett Keene scored on a short run, and Brandon Neverdon broke free for his own long run in the fourth quarter.
The game was close early, and Calvert Hall hung on to a 14-12 halftime lead before scoring the first 21 points of the second half.
"Our guys really were able to make huge plays on both sides of the ball," Calvert Hall coach Donald Davis said. "[That helped] swing the momentum."
The Cardinals needed the momentum to swing because even though they never trailed, the Cadets nipped at their heels the whole first half, making their own big plays and giving Calvert Hall problems.
"Everybody had a bit of jitters," Stuart said. "Everyone just came out and played their hearts out."
In the end, the big plays made the difference.
Williams ran for a 69-yard touchdown early and caught a 23-yard scoring pass from Stuart in the second half that gave Calvert Hall (1-0) breathing room late in the third quarter.
Stuart scrambled for a 21-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that gave the Cardinals a 28-12 lead and proved to be the breaking point.
The defense also came up big several times. St. John's had first-and-goal at the 10 in the second quarter, but the Cardinals forced the Cadets to try a field goal — which they missed. Later, after a St. John's touchdown, the Cardinals stopped the two-point conversion.
Calvert Hall had problems early giving Stuart room to operate. He was sacked twice on the first drive, and the Cardinals had to punt. A partially blocked kick gave St. John's good field position, but Peter Rosa missed a 27-yard field goal.
But the Cardinals came up with the game's first big play moments later on the touchdown run by Williams. Austen Strachen added the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 4:04 left in the first quarter.
St. John's slowly drove 69 yards on the ensuing possession and scored on Ben Onett's 6-yard touchdown run. But Joe Giglio missed the extra point to let the Cardinals keep a 7-6 lead with 10:44 remaining in the first half.
Calvert Hall's offense kept rolling on the next drive as Stuart completed three passes that quickly moved the team to the 12-yard line. That's when Keene burst free up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown. Strachen's extra point put the Cardinals up 14-6 with 3:19 left in the half.
But St. John's drove right back downfield and scored on a 1-yard run by Devin Williams. Calvert Hall then sacked Omar Truitt — one of the team's two quarterbacks who shuttled in and out — to deny the two-point conversion and keep its lead at 14-12 at the break.