Led by a dominating defense and a strong rushing attack, the Eaglets gained a 20-0 lead before the game was eight minutes old and went on to defeat the Pilots, 30-0. The St. Mary's homecoming contest was played at West Bloomfield High.

St. Mary's, ranked third in Division 2, is 5-0 overall, 2-0 in the Catholic League's Central Division. The Pilots, who entered the contest ranked 10th in Division 2, are 3-2, 0-2.

The Eaglets caused five turnovers, three of which went to defensive ends Jon Misch and Blair Hollis. The pair also had two quarterback sacks apiece.

Before St. Mary's defense had a chance to do damage, the Eaglets' offense dented the scoreboard quickly. On their second play from scrimmage following the opening kickoff, Anthony Bowman burst through the middle and dashed 75 yards for a touchdown. Steve Andrews added the first of his three extra points.

"When I got the ball I saw the opening and I just took it, just went with it," Bowman said. "The line did a tremendous job; the hole was wide open."

St. Mary's defense then forced the first DeLaSalle turnover when Hollis recovered quarterback Cecil St. Pierre's fumble at the Pilots' 34. The Eaglets capped a short drive when quarterback Justin Siller threw a six-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nick Koenigsknecht for a 14-0 lead.

The Eaglets' defensive ends then combined for a big play when Hollis deflected a St. Pierre pass, which floated into Misch's hands. Misch took the ball 29 yards into the end zone to build the lead to 20-0.

St. Mary's lost a fumble of its own late in the quarter, sparking a brief DeLaSalle drive into Eaglets territory before Koenigsknecht picked off a pass at the St. Mary's 10.

The Pilots drove to St. Mary's 30 early in the second quarter, but linebacker Ian Dupack stopped running back Dan Lomasney cold on a fourth-and-two play to halt the drive.

Another tipped DeLaSalle pass was picked off, this time by Hollis, at the Pilot's 28 early in the third quarter, which set up a 37-yard field goal by Andrews.

DeLaSalle's best scoring chance was thwarted by St. Mary's at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Pilots drove to the St. Mary's four, but three runs netted no yards, then a St. Pierre pass intended for Paul Nielsen was incomplete at the back of the end zone. St. Mary's then drove 96 yards on 15 plays, all but one on the ground, taking 8:19 off the clock. Chris Mitchell capped the drive with a 25-yard touchdown run.

The Pilots were held to 58 yards rushing and 90 passing. Dominic Knight and Alex Delisi led St. Mary's with seven tackles apiece. But the ends were the keys to St. Mary's effort, led by Misch.

"Jon Misch was outstanding out there today at defensive end," said coach George Porritt. "He knocked passes down, he intercepted one for a touchdown, had a couple sacks - what else can you ask from a kid? Our defense was outstanding."

Offensively, most of the attention this season has gone to the Eaglets' numerous ballhandling weapons, but Porritt also praised his offensive line.

"They're developing," he said, "led by big (6-foot, 275-pound) John Shubsda, and Scott Flynn in the middle at the center spot, and Justin Summers, they're doing a nice job up front for us and getting it done."

The line helped St. Mary's gain 303 yards on the ground and 22 through the air Saturday. Bowman led all rushers with 189 yards on 14 carries.

Bowman would be the sole ballcarrier on most teams, but on St. Mary's he rotates with several others, including Aaron Gant and Dominique White. But Bowman has no complaints.

"I like to see my teammates and everybody else do well," Bowman said. "It's not all about me, it's about the team. As long as we win, I'm happy."

The Eaglets will try to keep Bowman happy when they travel to 3-2 Novi Catholic Central Saturday.