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Tied through three quarters, Cretin-Derham Hall pulls away late to defeat East Ridge

By Adam Holt, SportsEngine, 09/06/19, 4:00PM CDT

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Raiders quarterback Preston Thelemann hit Marisellieo Mendez for a 51-yard touchdown to open the fourth quarter, breaking a 14-14 tie.

	 Cretin-Derham Hall quarterback Preston Thelemann drops back in to the end zone, looking for an open receiver. Thelemann finished with 290 passing yards, leading the Raiders to a 24-14 win over the Raptors. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine

Cretin-Derham Hall quarterback Preston Thelemann drops back in to the end zone, looking for an open receiver. Thelemann finished with 290 passing yards, leading the Raiders to a 24-14 win over the Raptors. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine

The starting quarterback battle at Cretin-Derham Hall continued into the second game of the season. While it may not be completely over, Preston Thelemann looked in control against rival East Ridge, helping keep the Raiders undefeated another week.

Thelemann and Mike Walsh have split reps under center for the Raiders (2-0, 1-0) all offseason and fall, and did so through the first quarter of a 24-14 win over East Ridge at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul on Friday night. But once Thelemann got rolling, he kept going, leading three touchdown drives and a final game-clinching field goal drive.

“I always believed in myself and felt like I was the guy,” Thelemann said. “Tonight was just proving it, and I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.”

The senior finished the game 21 of 26 for 290 yards with two touchdowns. In the second quarter, he threw a deep ball down the left seam to Tyson Schilling for a 53-yard TD, giving the Raiders, ranked No. 7 in the Class 6A Associated Press statewide poll, a 14-0 lead. And on the first play of the fourth quarter, Thelemann hit Marisellio Mendez down the right sideline in stride for a 51-yard touchdown to break a 14-14 tie.

Walsh played one series in the first quarter before Thelemann got another crack at leading the offense. He finished with a performance that showed a lot of potential.

Cretin-Derham Hall's Tyson Schilling (15) breaks away from the last East Ridge defender on a 53-yard touchdown reception, giving the Raiders a 14-point lead in the second quarter. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine

Cretin-Derham Hall's Tyson Schilling (15) breaks away from the last East Ridge defender on a 53-yard touchdown reception, giving the Raiders a 14-point lead in the second quarter. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine

First Report

A couple of big passing plays and some turnovers forced by Cretin-Derham Hall’s defense helped the Raiders top Metro East Subdistrict rival East Ridge 24-14 Friday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

After being tied 14-14 through three quarters, Cretin-Derham Hall quarterback Preston Thelemann hit Marisellieo Mendez for a 51-yard touchdown down the right side on the first play of the fourth quarter, resulting in the Raiders going up 21-14. Thelemann finished 21 of 26 for 290 yards with two touchdowns, and completed passes to nine different receivers.

Jimmy Reardon kicked a 24-yard field goal with 2 minutes, 37 seconds remaining to give the Raiders (2-0, 1-0) a 10-point lead ending a drive that started with a fumble recovered at the Raiders’ 1-yard line.

Cretin-Derham Hall had a 14-0 lead, after getting a 10-yard touchdown run by Tony Underwood in the first quarter, and a 53-yard touchdown pass from Thelemann to Tyson Schilling in the second. Underwood finished with 17 carries for 33 yards and a touchdown.

East Ridge (0-2, 0-1) responded on the next play from scrimmage with a 66-yard TD run by KJ Moore. A 35-yard run by quarterback Riley Larson set up a 1-yard scoring run three plays later to tie it 14-14.

Moore had 21 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown. Larson was 4 of 10 passing for 58 yards and ran 16 times for 46 yards and a score.

The Raiders, ranked No. 7 in the Class 6A Associated Press poll, recovered three Raptor fumbles and twice scored on the ensuing possession.

East Ridge running back KJ Moore (9) looks for an opening down the sideline on Friday night. Moore finished with 21 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine

East Ridge running back KJ Moore (9) looks for an opening down the sideline on Friday night. Moore finished with 21 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine

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