While St. Vincent celebrated its past at homecoming, it was its future that led the way to a 33-20 win over San Rafael on Saturday afternoon.
The Mustangs were led by fantastic freshman Kai Hall, who ran for 296 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries. Hall ran for almost 200 yards in the first half as St. Vincent built a 19-0 lead and had every reason to celebrate homecoming at halftime. At one point, Hall carried on 11 straight St. Vincent plays. As a team, St. Vincent rushed for 325 yards.
But, even as the Mustangs celebrated one of their own, wide receiver Alex Ditzio (also an outstanding softball and girls basketball player), being crowned homecoming queen, trouble was brewing.
Already missing several players to various injuries and hurts, St. Vincent lost key starters and captains Rory Morgan and Andrew Kohler to injuries in the first half. San Rafael was also playing with its own problems. Wide receiver Drew Caveney was moved to the quarterback spot for the second week as outstanding starter Jack Miller remained sidelined with an injury.
The injuries and a blistering hot day resulted in a determined second-half dog fight that ultimately was decided by Hall and the performance of several other key Mustang freshmen and sophomores who stepped up big time to fill in for the hurting stars.