Thursday, November 8, 2012

Bishop Timon/St. Jude Advances to First MMHSAA Game in School History

            For the first time in school history, the Bishop Timon/St. Jude Tigers are going to the Monsignor Martin championship game.
            Timon beat St. Joe’s 27-10 Thursday night at Ralph Wilson Stadium to punch their ticket to next week’s final.
            “We were in this position last year, and we got beat pretty handily by a good St. Francis team,” Timon head coach Charlie Comerford said after the game. “Our guys made a commitment, and 12 months later they’re reaping the benefits of that commitment.”
            Timon used a big first half and a strong defensive performance to secure the victory. They fell behind early after St. Joe’s senior running back Ilo Noble scored a 61-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. From there, the Tigers’ defense turned it on, and Timon finished the first quarter up 21-7.
            The big play of the game came early in the first quarter. With the game tied 7-7, Timon’s Adam DiMillo intercepted St. Joe's quarterback Dennis Gilbert on a third down pass, and returned it close to 40 yards for a Tiger touchdown.
            “We held him out of defense all year because of some injury trouble, but getting him at safety is a huge bonus to our team, and helps our team speed a lot,” a beaming Comerford said after the game.
            Timon was able to push their lead to 24-7 by halftime, and they held St. Joe’s to just three points in the second half.
            “They came back in the second half against us in the first game,” said DiMillo. “We knew we had to bring the same intensity as we came out with.”
            DiMillo finished the game with 82 yards on 15 carries to go along with his interception for a touchdown. Quarterback Ryan Dougherty went 8-14 for 137 yards, including four big conversions on third down. Senior fullback Jackson Brown added two touchdowns for the Tigers, and played physical defense all game.
            “That first play kind of stunned us a bit, then we realized we were in for a game,” he said. “After that we re-grouped, everyone started stepping up, and we played well.”
            The win not only gives Timon a chance at their first outright league title since 1994, but it also marks the first time in school history that the Tigers have beat St. Joe’s twice in one season. Before this year, Timon hadn’t defeated the Marauders since 2002.
            “It feels great,” said Brown outside the Timon locker room. “We haven’t beat them in a decade. This year, we beat them twice. They’re a very good team, we had to play our best game in order to beat them. It just feels amazing right now.”
            Noble had 87 yards and a touchdown on 6 carries in his last football game as a Marauder. Rod Payne once again led the defense, totaling 9 tackles and a sack in the losing effort. St. Joe’s finishes their season 8-3.
            Timon awaits the winner of the second Monsignor Martin semi-final game between Canisius and St. Francis. They will meet the winner next Saturday in the championship game at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

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