ORCHARD LAKE--In a game filled with big plays, St. Mary's scored three touchdowns of 48 yards or more, while Rice had two, a key difference in the Eaglets' 24-21 triumph.

But a field goal drive that ate up most of the second quarter was also vital for the host Eaglets, and better exemplified the type of physical game it was, as experienced by the players in the trenches.

"They were hitting hard," said St. Mary's defensive end Jon Misch. "We haven't played someone that hits that hard."

The contest between the previously-unbeaten Catholic League Central Division powers left St. Mary's 8-0 overall, 5-0 in division play. The Warriors, who entered the game ranked first in the state, fell to 7-1, 4-1. St. Mary's had begun the day ranked second in the state.

The teams will meet again this Saturday, in the Prep Bowl championship game, a fact that lifted the Warriors' spirits slightly.

"You always like to try another shot," said Rice coach Al Fracassa. "They played us twice last year. They beat us the second time (in the state playoffs). Hopefully we can beat them the second time" this year.

Conceivably, the teams could meet a third time this season, since each squad has clinched a playoff berth.

The first encounter of the season was played on a windy Saturday afternoon, but the wind didn't slow the offenses down early in the game. The teams scored three touchdowns of 63 yards or more in the first 10 minutes.

"That's the kind of game it was," said St. Mary's coach George Porritt. "You've got to make plays. Their kids did and our kids did."

"They're a big play team; That didn't surprise us at all," Fracassa echoed. "We worked really hard to try to prevent that."

The Warriors opened the scoring on their second possession, as John Goebel turned the right corner on a sweep and raced 75 yards to the end zone. Dusty Greenbury added the first of three extra points for a 7-0 lead.

St. Mary's answered three plays later, when quarterback Justin Siller rolled out right and found Anthony Bowman wide open down the right sideline for a 64-yard score. Steven Andrews booted the first of his three extra points to tie the game.

After scoring with his arm, Siller used his legs moments later, scrambling out of trouble, then dashing 63 yards with 2:07 remaining in the quarter to give the Eaglets a seven-point margin.

Rice came back on its next drive, which concluded early in the second quarter. Quarterback Mike Cappetto, who completed four of 10 passes on the day, connected for three completions during an 80-yard drive. Running back Joey Henry turned a short pass into a 34-yard gain, then Cappetto fired a 31-yard strike to Charlie Gantt, to the Eaglets 10. On third-and-goal from the 15, Cappetto found Kaunda Hancock inside the five, and Hancock battled into the end zone to even the score at 14.

St. Mary's took possession at its 20 with 10:12 remaining in the half and drove 77 yards in 18 plays, capping the eight-minute 40-second drive with Andrews' 21-yard field goal.

The Eaglets converted four straight third down plays to keep the drive rolling. Aaron Gant ran eight yards on a draw on a third-and-eight situation, while Siller completed a 25-yard pass to Nick Koenigsknecht on a third-and-four. When the drive finally stalled on the Rice three, Andrews' kick gave St. Mary's a 17-14 halftime edge.

St. Mary's went three-and-out after receiving the second half kickoff, forcing an Andrew Jones punt. But Pat Carroll stole the ball from Hancock during the runback, giving St. Mary's possession at the Warriors 46. Three plays later, the strong-armed Siller, throwing against the wind, hit Taurian Washington in stride down the left sideline, and Washington carried it across the goal line for a 24-14 lead.

Rice answered with its final score when Henry swept right, turned the corner, then swiftly cut back to his left and out-raced the defenders for a 48-yard TD run with 7:29 left in the quarter. But the Warriors had no first downs for the rest of the game.

St. Mary's out-gained Rice on the day, 366 yards to 266. Siller ran 10 times for 89 yards while Gant added 74 yards on 22 carries. Siller also completed four of 10 passes for 149 yards. John Goebel led all rushers with 129 yards on 13 carries. Henry ran five times for 61 yards. Cappetto matched Siller's 4-for-10 performance, for 84 yards.

Defensively, Matt Shango had 15 tackles for Rice, including seven solo stops, while Chris Colasanti had nine solo tackles among 13 stops. Dominic Knight led St. Mary's with 10 tackles, including four solo hits, while Delisi had three solo tackles plus four assists.

Playing a team twice in a season, let alone twice in a row, is always difficult. So it's understandable that Fracassa was pleased about the quick rematch. "I'm just happy we're going to play them again next week," he said.

"I don't know if I'm happy," Porritt later responded, "but it's great to be in the Prep Bowl championship. It'll be a great football game."

Misch probably summed things up best:

"Next week is going to be a war."