STAFF REPORTS
St. Joseph Academy is now 2-0 in district after holding San Antonio St. Anthony’s scoreless during a 58-0 victory in a TAPPS Division I District 2 game Saturday at Lang Field in San Antonio.
“(Defensive coordinator) Coach (Christian) Putegnat had a real good game plan going against these guys. They had a real athletic running back, and our job was to contain him,” St. Joseph coach Tino Villarreal said. “The boys were playing really hard … my hat’s off to them, they had a great game plan and they executed it perfectly.”
The Bloodhounds’ defense forced a fumble and intercepted a pass to put their takeaway total at 30. St. Joseph has not had a turnover on offense this season.
Quarterback Kai Money and running backs Mario Garcia and Anthony Cantu moved the chains for the St. Joseph offense all game, building a 37-0 lead at halftime.
Garcia, who found the end zone five times on the ground, led the Bloodhounds. Money ran for a score and threw two touchdown passes, one each to receivers Bernie de la Garza and Gerardo Moses.
“St. Anthony’s had a really good game plan against us. They tried to take away things we feel comfortable doing,” Villarreal said. “We had to throw the ball a little more and that set up the run, and we were able to close the gate down by running the ball well. They really focused on Kai, so we’re glad we have a good supporting cast of receivers and running backs.”
It also gave St. Joseph more confidence for when opponents focus their game plan on its sophomore quarterback.
“Our next two games are against St. Michael’s and Central Catholic (both also 2-0 in district), so we’re about to go through the gauntlet,” Villarreal said. “They’re going to try to stop Kai, too, so it solidifies when that happens (that) we have other weapons we can key on and alleviate that pressure put on Kai.”
The Bloodhounds put themselves in good shape with three district games to play. St. Joseph plays host to St. Michael’s on Friday to hopefully reach the top of the standings.
“Our last three games are going to be tough, but now we’re tested and our kids know we can play football,” Villarreal said. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride from here to the rest of the season.”