Photo Credit: Roman Puno/PrepsKC 
Top-ranked and undefeated St. Thomas Aquinas – state champions of Kansas Class 4A last season – moved one step closer to winning the Class 5A state championship this year with a 24-17 win over St. James Academy Friday night.
The Saints, 12-0, will play Hays for the 5A title next Saturday in Emporia. Hays, 8-4 and the No. 9 seed in the West bracket beat Goddard-Eisenhower in the other state semi Friday.
“There’s nothing better than practicing Thanksgiving week, I can tell you that,” Aquinas coach Randy Dreiling said. “I know it’s going to be cold, we don’t care. I am proud of these guys. We’ve been in so many games like the one we played tonight, and they just find a way to get it done every time.”
It was a hard-fought contest that was tied 10-10 at the half and ultimately decided by which team could come up with a stop, as St. James had only two possessions the second half, and could only score on one of them, while the Saints flexbone offense, stymied much of the first half, could not be stopped in the second without throwing a pass.
Aquinas took a 17-10 lead with a 17-play 80-yard drive that took up the first 7:43 of the third quarter. The Thunder responded with a 15-play, 8-minute drive starting from their own 18-yard line that stalled at the Saints 4-yard line with a third-down sack, and then a missed 32-yard field goal.
“That basically turned out to be the game right there,” St. James coach Tom Radke. “That was a missed opportunity. Our guys continued to battle and I proud of the way they fought to the end, but we missed a few opportunities tonight and had a few breaks that didn’t go our way.”
Aquinas then went 85 yards with quarterback Elzie Slaughter covering the final two for his second rushing touchdown of the night, putting the Saints up 24-10 with 3:05 left.
St. James struck back quickly with John Tujague scoring a two-yard TD with 1:57 to go to cut the lead to 7, but the Saints were able to move the chains and run out the clock without St. James ever getting a final chance.
Junior running back Calin Arndt was the difference maker for Aquinas, as the Saints adjusted away from their option attack in the second half with more straight between-the-tackle running from Arndt. After getting held to just 16 yards on 7 carries in the first half, he rushed for 135 yards on 22 carries in the second half, converting first down after first down.
“St. James did a good job, I tip my hat to them, and then once we figured out what they were doing defensively we were able to move the ball,” Dreiling said. “We just did enough to win tonight. That’s kind of what our offense has done all year, just doing enough to win.”
St. James, which finishes the season 6-6, came out aggressive and jumped to a 10-0 lead with a 4-yard TD run by quarterback Tyson Beashore and a 35-yard field goal by Jack Bevitt on its first two possessions. Beashore was 12 of 15 passing in the first half for 109 yards. The lead could have been larger but a pick six by the Thunder was nullified by a penalty.
The momentum totally turned thanks to a rare Saints pass play late in the second quarter. Still down 10-0, Slaughter tossed a short swing pass to senior wingback Will Callahan, who turned on the jets and raced 57 yards for a touchdown. The play seemed to breathe new energy in the Saints sideline and started a run of 24 straight points for Aquinas.
“I really just trusted my blockers, got a lot of great blocks from the O-line, the other slot and wide receiver,” Callahan said. “I was really open, got an opportunity and made a play, that’s what I do.”
The Saints, though, took the win in stride without much of a celebration. They still have unfinished business.
“It feels good, but none of this matters unless we get a ship,” he said.
