Special to the Post

After a slow start in the first half, St. Aloysius came out in the second half and won respect.

Even though the Flashes lost 26-7, dropping to 1-7 (1-5 Region 2-1A) on the season, the tough St. Aloysius defense held the vaunted Puckett offense to 62 total yards and no touchdowns in the second half. It was also a second half that included one ejection and many penalties against the fourth-ranked Wolves.

&#8220We won the second half,” Flashes coach Jim Taylor said. &#8220I told the kids that if you can believe in yourselves you can play with anybody.”

The first half, which was a complete 180-degree turnaround from the second half, included four Puckett touchdowns, an onsides kick, and 34 total yards of offense for the Flashes.

Puckett moves to 8-0 on the season and remains atop the region standings.

Puckett ran an aggressive offense the entire night, including a successful onsides kick in the first quarter, and did not punt until the fourth quarter.

Puckett scored on an 18-yard run to cap its opening drive of 82 yards on 14 plays.

The Wolves then scored again following the onsides kick. The score came on a 25-yard touchdown to make it 14-0.

The third Wolves’ score came on a 4-yard run late in the first quarter. The final Puckett touchdown came on a 16-yard run in the second quarter to up the lead to 26-0.

The Flashes came out in the second half and had 136 yards of total offense. They scored their only touchdown of the game on a 13-yard run by Alex Halinski.

The Flashes will play their last home game of the season next week against lowly Edinburg, a team that owns the longest losing streak in the state.