The conditions were brutal, both for the players on the field and the
fans in the stands. A cold, driving rain pelleted both during the game
and made both playing and viewing the game difficult. I lost all feeling
in my fingers except for that tingling sensation for over 2 hours after
the game from holding my umbrella and wet hands. But the game itself
was a good one. In fact, it ranks up there as one of the biggest upsets
in WNY high school sports.
St. Joe's of Buffalo, which had been blown out by powerhouse St.
Anthony's of Long Island the last two meetings, won 20-14 in a downpour.
I wasn't able to take too many pics of the game as the driving rain and
wind forced me to keep the camera in the protective case. However,
there were a few breaks in the rain and I was able to take 24 pics, an
all-time low in recent memory.
St. Anthony's had twice the numbers and almost twice the size over St. Joe's.
St. Anthony's had been ranked #2 in the state (second only to Buffalo's
Canisius) and they had 88 players on their roster, compared to St. Joe's
36. However, the Marauders were bigger where it matters the most, in
heart. Not only did St. Anthony's have over twice the number of players,
but were much bigger in stature. That didn't matter as St. Joe's had
Nigel Davis, who scored all 3 TDs and had 218 yards rushing. He matched
the 75 yard TD run scored by St. Anthony's Jordan Gowins and not only
scored on offense, but punted and kicked as well, and on defense had six
tackles and a sack.
St. Anthony's quarterback launches a pass in the rain.
The crowd at St. Joe's endured brutal weather conditions to see their team win.
St. Joe's Nigel Davis runs around right end to gain yardage.
Jordan Gowins cuts up the right sidelines on his way to a 75-yard St. Anthony's touchdown.
Gowins runs untouched at the end of his TD run.
Nigel Davis finds a hole in the St. Anthony's massive defensive line.
St. Anthony's spotted a collegiate-type roster, in size and numbers.
