Their motto, five fingers is never as strong as a fist, guides St. Thomas Academy's offensive linemen. In the words of senior center Max Anderson, "You need all five fingers to get a good punch in."
Anderson and the big guys landed blows against Two Rivers throughout Saturday's Class 5A, Section 3 semifinal at Gerry Brown Stadium in a 47-14 St. Thomas Academy rout.
The offensive line repeatedly opened holes for running backs Niko Vargas and Savion Hart, and the duo combined for six of the Cadets' seven touchdowns.
"We've got the best running backs in the state, and we're blessed to be blocking for them," Anderson said. "We were physical with Two Rivers and took the wind out of the sails early and just kept it going."
Saddled with the No. 4 seed in the section playoffs, Two Rivers sought greater respect, the kind a playoff victory at St. Thomas Academy would bring. To that end, the Warriors could not have started any better. Ramzi Rislove's 67-yard touchdown dash produced a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.
From there, the teams tied for ninth in the final Class 5A rankings went different directions. The lightning scores stopped for Two Rivers. The Cadets' thundering drives, however, continued unabated.
Rislove's big score was answered by three consecutive touchdown runs by Vargas in the first half. The 26-7 halftime lead by St. Thomas Academy loomed much larger.
"To have an explosive play like that gives you a good boost," Warriors co-head coach Tom Orth said. "Unfortunately, we were not able to get the job done on defense, and a lot of that was a credit to St. Thomas."