Patriots Fall to St. James 28-3

Turnovers loomed large Friday night as the Christ Prep Patriots fell 28-3 to the St. James Academy Thunder at Mirocke Field in Shawnee. The Patriots struck first with a 32 yard field goal by Darren Wallace after the team capitalized on a St. James' fumble deep in its own territory. After posting the 3-0 lead, however, the Patriots had a difficult time getting on track offensively and turned the ball over several times either by interception or fumble. The Thunder consistently capitalized on these miscues and put the Patriots in a significant hole by scoring 4 first half touchdowns.

The Patriots showed some bright spots offensively as Lenard Manuel pounded the ball into the St. James secondary. Manuel accumulated some significant rushing yards and had several good runs but it seemed the Patriots couldn't sustain a drive long enough to result in a score.

Both teams defenses stepped up in the second half and held the other scoreless as the halftime and final scores were identical.

St. James (1-0) travels next Friday to Harmon while Christ Prep takes on the Northeast Vikings (1-1). Details on the time and location will be provided early next week. The Vikings are led by first year coach and former Kansas City Chiefs fullback Kimble Anders.

Check back with Patriot Football 2009 this weekend as we hope to provide some statistics from last night's game.