LYNN — Flushed from the pocket, St. Mary’s quarterback Yaniel Belliard rolled to his right and threw across his body, releasing the pass in the nick of time before a tackler brought him to the ground.
Waiting for the ball downfield was Nicholas Marks, who hauled in the 17-yard completion on fourth down to keep the drive alive. A few plays later, Maxwell Parent plunged into the end zone for the tying touchdown, then kicked the extra point to propel St. Mary’s to a 15-14 comeback win over Winthrop on Friday night at Manning Field.
“Yaniel was like John Elway throwing the ball across his body,” said St. Mary’s coach Sean Driscoll. “I said that to him and he didn’t even know who John Elway was. But he made the play, and it was a big one. We wore them down and got all the momentum.”
Advertisement
The Spartans (2-0), the defending Division 6 state champions, trailed 14-0 in the fourth quarter, only to rattle off 15 unanswered points in the final frame and deliver Driscoll his 100th career win.
“We never gave up,” said Belliard.
A St. Mary’s win seemed unlikely when Winthrop led 14-0 and had possession at midfield late in the third quarter, moving the ball at ease from their wing-T formation. But St. Mary stripped a runner, pounced on the fumble, and seized life.
On the ensuing drive, Parent carried a slew of defenders on his back for a 7-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 14-6. The Spartans’ defense garnered a stop on the next drive. As Winthrop went to punt, the snap sailed into the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety.
After Parent scored to tie the game, 14-14, with 2 minutes left, he booted his first career extra point. The Spartans’ defense iced the win with a turnover on downs, highlighted by a sack from Adrian Lule.
Advertisement
“Coach Driscoll just told us it’s 0-0, keep fighting,” said Parent, a freshman who had 43 rushing yards in the second half. “It was the biggest game of the year. We knew it was going to be a battle. With our pace, we just had to execute. There was no panic.”
Winthrop (1-1) took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 22-yard touchdown run from Nick Cappuccio. The Vikings doubled the lead in the third quarter when Demetri Koutsouflakis rumbled in from 2 yards out.