Tim football: Stepinac wins first playoff game ugly; but still wins

Beating 8th seeded Cardinal Hayes (Stepinac #1 seed) 36-22.

In the process they (1) gave up a 72 yard TD run (2) gave up a 95 yard kickoff return (3) lost a fumble which Hayes ran in for a touchdown. (4) Had four turnovers (5) had three touchdowns called back for holding penalties.

At one point Stepinac was ahead 22-6 but deep in the 3rd quarter it was 22-22.

Anyway, they got their act together and scored the last two touchdowns.

Tim had a good game, especially when he was on as fullback. He really is a fine blocker.

It was Senior Day, as the Stepinac football seniors were honored. Maybe that was a distraction, causing all the errors? who knows.

Will post a couple of videos; Lohud gave more coverage to Iona's win – link below with the Stepinac excerpt.

Stepinac 36, Cardinal Hayes 22: In a CHSFL AAA quarterfinal at No. 1 Stepinac, Malcolm Major helped break a deadlock late in the third quarter, returning a squib kick 67 yards to set up Tyquan Ennis' 9-yard touchdown run. The return came after No. 8 Cardinal Hayes tied the score 22-22 on a fumble recovery, unsettling the unbeaten Crusaders (10-0), who have won every game this season by double digits.

"You have no choice but to get serious when a team ties it up," said Major, a senior running back. "We haven't had many close games. When they scored, we got focused and just turned it up from there."

Major added a rushing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Stepinac overcame four turnovers to remain undefeated, and will now host St. Peter's (9-0) at 1 on Saturday in the semifinals.

"This game was definitely an eye-opener," said Major, who had 70 yards on the ground. "We have to start going into practice with a different mentality. We have to come out faster in these games and start putting teams away early."