St. Thomas Academy tops Mahtomedi in clash of Class 5A powers

A word of caution to teams in Class 5A: Ignore St. Thomas Academy's passing game at your peril.

The Cadets are known for their overwhelming rushing attack, but Friday they unleashed the strong, accurate arm of quarterback Maximus Sims, helping them take a 28-14 victory at Mahtomedi.

Sims completed his first seven passes and finished the game 10-for-13 for 157 yards. While the Cadets' explosive rushing duo of junior Savion Hart and senior Love Adebayo still carried the load Friday — Adebayo caught a 25-yard touchdown pass and Hart scored three times on the ground — it was Sims' passing that kept Mahtomedi off balance, keeping the Zephyrs from selling out to stop the run.

"We've been a running team since I've been here," St. Thomas Academy coach Dan O'Brien said. "This is the best we've thrown it. It makes our run game better."

Hart's first score, a 2-yard first-quarter run, gave the Cadets a 7-0 lead.

Mahtomedi was able to move the ball against the tough St. Thomas Academy defense but mustered just one touchdown, a 10-yard run in the second quarter by Corey Bohmert, until less than five minutes remained. It was the 16th touchdown of the season for Bohmert.

St. Thomas Academy extended the lead to 14-6 on Adebayo's touchdown reception late in the first half. Not only did it highlight Sims' passing touch, it came on fourth-and-14 from the Mahtomedi 25.

The Cadets bumped it to 21-6 early in the fourth quarter.

Mahtomedi struggled to finish drives for much of the game, turning the ball over on downs three times deep in St. Thomas Academy territory.

"That was our bend-but-don't-break defense," O'Brien said. "We've got some things to clean up, but they had a good offense."

The Zephyrs cut the lead to 21-14 on a touchdown pass from Charlie Brandt to Andrew Breien with 4:24 left in the game, but Hart broke free for a 47-yard touchdown set up by a 40-yard reception by Adebayo.

"It's phenomenal to have a player like [Hart] in the backfield, too," Adebayo said. "It's hard for a defense to prep when we have so many players who can make plays on offense."

St. Thomas Academy, No. 2 in Class 5A, improved to 6-0. No. 4 Mahtomedi fell to 5-1.