[10/18/03]Despite injuries across the offensive line, St. Aloysius came out firing on all cylinders to defeat Enterprise-Lincoln 36-14 on Friday night.

Enterprise (1-7, 1-5 Region 4-1A) had no answer for the Flashes’ ground attack in the first half, and St. Al (3-5, 2-4) had success passing the ball in the second half.

“We’ve got so many people hurt that I can only praise the ones that’s out there,” St. Al coach Jim Taylor said.

The Flashes lost lineman Steven Rottman earlier in the week, and his replacement Daniel Berryhill went down in the game, forcing Taylor to shuffle some players around.

St. Al racked up 273 yards rushing on 42 carries and totaled 394 yards of offense on the night.

“That’s probably the best we’ve played all year,” said St. Al quarterback Drew Mazzanti, who finished with 121 yards passing and two touchdowns, as well as an interception on defense. “Everybody just worked together and got the job done.”

With the victory, St. Al kept its slim playoff hopes alive, along with the hopes of finishing with a winning record.

St. Al faces Dexter and West Lincoln in its next two games. The two teams have yet to notch a win this year. The Flashes then end with archrival Cathedral.

“When your back’s against the wall, you’re supposed to step up and play some, and I think we did,” Taylor said. “Our record’s not that good, but I feel good about this team because the kids keep working and keep progressing. The possibility’s still there that we could win four in a row to end the season.”

St. Al opened the game with a 62-yard drive capped off by a Rob Jones touchdown.

On the next possession, Anthony Rector began with a 35-yard run and Jones finished again with an 8-yard score for a 13-0 St. Al lead.

“We were clicking. The offensive line was picking up blocks and driving them downfield. We were just hitting our holes,” said Jones, who rushed for 129 yards on 22 carries.

Enterprise then answered with a 63-yard drive and Jamaal Vaughn ran in from 6 yards out to cut the lead to 13-7.

But Mazzanti hit David Weiland on a 33-yard touchdown pass with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter to give the Flashes a 21-7 halftime lead following the two-point conversion.

Enterprise opened the second half with a 61-yard scoring drive, ending with Terrell May’s 14-yard run.

St. Al responded with another Mazzanti touchdown pass, this time 22 yards to Cowan Conway, for a 29-14 advantage. Austin Golding later increased the lead to 22 points when he ran in from a yard out to open the fourth quarter.

Enterprise ran for 219 yards, but quarterback Rodney Barker was 0-for-4 passing with an interception.

“The defense hung in there. They bent some but they didn’t break,” Taylor said. “We had a good game. I’m proud of them.”