Photo Credit: Roman Puno/PrepsKC 
It was a matchup that caught a lot of attention as the Kansas playoff brackets were released. In the Class 4A bracket, rivals Bishop Miege and St. James Academy found themselves matched up in the first round.
Together, the two teams hold the last nine straight state championships at this level. Miege might have been expected to roll to an easy victory, as the Stags did in September when they dismantled St. James, 48-7. By halftime, it was clear it wouldn’t happen that way, with St. James leading 14-0.
Miege would have to steady itself and fight its way out of that hole in the second half with destructive penalties called against them. In the end, the Stags would find a way as they pieced together critical drives and provided pivotal stops on defense to earn a 21-17 win.
“In the playoffs, you know you’re going to get everybody’s best shot,” Miege Coach Jon Holmes said. “They’re used to playing late in the playoffs, so we knew it was going to be a battle.”
Both teams were quiet offensively through the first quarter and came to life as the game progressed. St. James ran the ball nearly every play in the first half, with Spencer Dohm powering through and quarterback Ben Wheeler rushing for a touchdown each.
It’s become a trend this year for Miege to play its best in the second half.
“I told the guys at halftime to come out and give our best effort, and we felt like we could still win the game, just cause so many times this year we’ve done that,” Holmes said.
Miege started the second half with the ball and completed its first few passes, focusing on changing the game's dynamic with a score to start the half. A St. James defensive back intercepted the pass and brought it deep within Miege territory.
Miege would somehow manage to hold St. James scoreless on the possession and get the ball back but quickly find itself in a desperate 4th and 2 situation. Quarterback Marco Rodriguez faked the handoff and quickly found a tight end over the middle for a first down. It would be called back for an illegal man downfield.
Once again, the defense would hold for Miege. That’s when the Stags offense finally came to life as they moved the ball to the 25 of St. James to set up the Stags first touchdown of the night late in the third quarter, a touchdown pass from Marco Rodriguez to Howard Peoples.
On the next possession, Miege came up with the same result, this time from about 30 yards out. Rodriguez play-action faked and rolled out to his right and launched the ball over the middle of the end zone, where Cole Wofford tracked the ball, adjusted, and came down with a tough catch to tie the game, 14-14.
With a heavy emphasis on the quarterback draw from Ben Wheeler, St. James moved down the field and pulled ahead with a field goal. They would get the ball back and be within 5 yards of a touchdown when Miege sacked Wheeler, causing a fumble that the Stags came up with for a dramatic turn.
Rodriguez completed a pass to Wofford on a fourth down play to keep the drive going. Eventually, Nick Nabazas would make it down to the goal line before pushing his way in for a touchdown, giving them a 21-17 lead that would hold up over the final minute thanks to the Miege defense.
“We had to make plays when it counted,” Holmes said. “That’s why I’m so proud of these guys because they never flinched, they never wavered. They locked into what they had to do, and they were able to make enough plays to win this game.”
