St. Thomas Aquinas rolls over Leavenworth 27-7

It was chilly on Friday night in Leavenworth, but the St. Thomas Aquinas running game generated some sparks on the way to a 27-7 victory in a Kansas Class 5A sectional playoff game.

Aquinas started out with an impressive 14-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by a touchdown by Kyle Bollig, who played a key role for the Saints with 129 rushing yards in 25 carries.

“I knew I had to step up,” Bollig said. “The line’s been doing a great job. Karter’s (Odermann, St. Thomas Aquinas quarterback) been making good reads and it’s easy to run behind those guys.”

Odermann and the Saints’ offense kept the ball on the ground throughout the first half, running the ball 27 of their first 28 snaps. That strategy and the Saints’ option run game kept Leavenworth in a guessing game.

Odermann converted a touchdown of his own from 3 yards out to cap the Saints’ second drive.

“We knew what the game plan and that’s why we scored so many points in the first half,” Odermann said.

The 340 total rushing yards on Friday night by Aquinas was a plus and helps continue the Saints’ momentum since losing running back James Cosentino to a leg injury a few weeks ago. Since then, Aquinas coach Randy Dreiling said many other players have stepped up, especially Bollig.

“He’s not a natural running back, but he gets the job done right now,” Dreiling said.

The Saints’ final score of the night came from converted defensive lineman Ben Ewing, who scored on a 9-yard run with less than a minute remaining.

“I said last week that he’s (Ewing) crazy, and he is,” Bollig said. “He doesn’t feel any pain and he’s just going to run hard whenever he gets the ball. He did that again tonight.”

Leavenworth, though, did not go away. A solid running drive resulted in a 4-yard touchdown by Isaiah Ross.

Aquinas held off any charge by the Pioneers, sparked by three interceptions — two from Chris Schilling and one from Nathan Stuckel.

“I thought our defense was outstanding for most of the game,” Dreiling said. “They’ve got some explosive guys who are going to get some yards.”

Looking ahead, Dreiling and his Saints will prepare to face Shawnee Heights in a substate game. For the coach, it’s all about cleaning up turnovers the Saints made in second half and staying the course.

“Aquinas has a lot of tradition and a lot of winning,” Dreiling said. “We’re just trying to keep it going.”

This story was originally published November 14, 2014 at 10:36 PM with the headline "St. Thomas Aquinas rolls over Leavenworth 27-7."