St. Francis runs away from Wheaton Academy

When an opportunity presents itself, it should be taken advantage of. And that's exactly what Harold Beron and the rest of the St. Francis Spartans did Friday night against Wheaton Academy in their 52-12 win.

In front of the home crowd on homecoming weekend, the St. Francis defense intercepted Wheaton Academy for a third time, and Beron, in his first varsity start, took it 85 yards for his first varsity touchdown with 48 seconds left in the first half of a Suburban Christian Conference crossover game.

"We've been preparing all week for them to throw the ball to Anthony Ritchie," Beron said. "The line got great pressure on the quarterback, and I just dropped into coverage, then turned on the jets."

St. Francis coach Greg Purnell loved the way his defense played and rose to the occasion.

"The pick right before the half was huge," he said. "Seventeen to seven is a lot different than 24-0. ... Harold just made a great play."

Offensively, the Spartans' Wing-T seemed to be too much for the Warriors' defense. Running back Bob Miller was a load up the middle, and that allowed quarterback Collin O'Donnell to get free around the edge for a few big gains, including a 43-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-2.

"On that play the guard got a good pull, the back had a big block and it was off to the races," O'Donnell said.

The ground game wasn't the only thing working for St. Francis (4-1). O'Donnell connected with two receivers through the air for touchdowns in the second half. The first, a 57-yard strike to running back Tony Varygas, and the second, 16 yards to tight end Joe Pfeiffer.

For Wheaton Academy the loss was tough to handle.

"They didn't play like they were coached," Warriors coach Ben Wilson said. "We showed that we can play with St. Francis physically, but mentally we were not there ... there was error and a lack of focus."

Wilson did leave the field with positive thoughts and with his Warriors (3-2) still focused on winning the Suburban Christian Gold Division.