On paper, 4-0 Rockhurst vs. 0-3 Bishop Miege appeared to be a potential mismatch.
But the rivalry between these two private schools runs deep, more than 40 years in the making, and Miege proved it would be no pushover Friday night before it’s home crowd.
The Hawklets scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to break open a defensive battle and claim a 20-3 victory, remaining unbeaten at 5-0, in a game that was closer than the final score indicates.
“A lot of kudos to Bishop Miege, what a tough, gritty performance they had tonight,” Rockhurst coach Kelly Donohoe said. “Super proud of our defense. They had a lot of tough fields, and they were able to hold their ground, and hold them to 3, and that offense that has been scoring a lot of points all year.”
The Stags, led by senior quarterback Marco Rodriguez and senior receivers Teryn Jackson and Jordon Ballard, moved the ball efficiently throughout the game with their spread passing attack. Rodriguez completed 24 of 43 passes for 233 yards as the Stags rolled up 19 first downs, but the Rockhurst defense stiffened each time deep in their own territory, forcing three field goal attempts, only one of which was made. The Hawklets also had two interceptions.
“The defense was bend, bend, bend all night, but then we just didn’t break in the red zone, and that’s what really good defenses do,” Donohoe said. “They had a good scheme and got the ball out quick, but I was proud of the adjustments we made.”
Rockhurst senior back Pierce Fisher scored two touchdown runs and quarterback Charlie Loose hit Riley Sullivan on a 12-yard scoring strike that put the game away with 2:28 left to go. Fisher, a two-way starter who rushed for 77 yards and had an interception from his safety position, said the team knew it would have a tough battle against Miege.
“They have a great offense, and they kept trucking down the field, we just make some key stops in the right moments,” Fisher said. “Despite their 0-3 start, we knew they were going to come out hard and play us hard, I mean this is one of the biggest rivalries in Kansas City. I am glad we were able fight through adversity and get the win.”
Rockhurst stumbled in the first quarter when Fisher lost a fumble after a nice run on the Hawklets’ first possession, and on their second possession a 60-yard touchdown pass was negated by penalty.
Bishop Miege got on the board first with a 33-yard field goal, but Rockhurst answered with 58-yard drive – all on the ground – capped by Pierce’s 3-yard run. The point after was no good. Miege missed a field goal right before the half and then another late in the third quarter that would have tied it.
The Hawklets were finally able to pull away with an 80-yard drive capped by Piece’s 1-yard run with 8:52 left in the game. The drive featured first-down passes to Sullivan and Beau Neuburger.
Bishop Miege coach John Holmes was proud of his team’s effort.
“If you would have told me we would be down 6-3 heading into the fourth quarter with a great chance to win the game, I would take it,” Holmes said. “If you were at practice this week, you couldn’t tell we were an 0-3 team. We knew Rockhurst was a great team and they are a physical team and had a good game plan. But we didn’t disappoint. I am really proud of the effort and the way we battled out there.”
