Moments after Bishop Miege notched its first win against its biggest rival since 2017, Stephen Neenan could be found embracing family and friends amid the chaos. One by one, a member of the Stags faithful hit Neenan on the shoulder pads and went in for a bear hug.
This was merely 15 minutes after Neenan drilled a game-winning 32-yard field goal to eventually send Miege to a 23-20 victory over favored Aquinas, handing the Saints’ (2-1) first loss. It was the Stags’ first win, as they gratefully moved to 1-2.
For Neenan, the clutch kick was a product of hard work spent in the offseason following a missed field goal in last year’s state semifinal loss to eventual champion St. James Academy. But the game-winner was also a sense of relief and a glimmer of light after months of pain and agony following the sudden death of his cousin, Joseph Pedrotti, a former Miege standout who died on April 2, 2021. He was 21.
Back on the field, as fans flooded the players after the thrilling win, Neenan took a quick moment to collect himself before fielding questions about the victory. Midway through the interview, Neenan remembered his cousin.
“Obviously, last year I missed that kick in the semifinal game,” he started, “and after the death of my cousin in April …”
Now Neenan wasn’t quite in tears, rather processing his thoughts and emotions amid the jubilation. In crept the pain. The heartbreak.
“He was definitely behind me in this one,” Neenan said of his cousin. “It was just … Amazing.”
Simple enough. Neenan and his teammates honored their fallen brother with helmet stickers that had Pedrotti’s “JMP” initials. Pedrotti, an engineering student at the University of Missouri prior to his passing, was a member of the 2014, 2015, and 2016 state championships. Miege coach Jon Holmes called it “an emotional night.”
“This week was big. Joe was a big part of our state championship teams and their family is a big-time supporter of Miege,” he said. “Aquinas is a big game and we knew how much it would mean to that family and us (to win), and dang it those kids played well tonight.”
To make it even more special, the emotional win came in the Stags’ first home game since Pedrotti’s passing and at full-capacity for the first time since November 2019.
And, of course, with Pedrotti’s cousin playing the hero.
“It was pretty special for Stephen to end that win tonight,” Holmes said.
Call it divine intervention. However you slice it, it was a special night for the Miege community.
Or, as Neenan put it, “it was just amazing.”
