ST. PETERSBURG - St. John Lutheran did not need any trick plays to pull off a 17-7 upset win over Northside Christian on Friday night.
The Saints just needed senior tailback Donnie Powell, the all-time leading rusher in Marion County.
The Saints (3-7) ran Powell left and right. Then, just to keep the Mustangs' defense honest, St. John sent Powell up the middle. Powell carried the ball 17 times in both halves, finishing with two touchdowns and 165 yards to defeat the Mustangs (7-3).
"He's a great running back," Dennis Meunier said. "He had the tough yards when we had to have them."
The Saints were nursing a late 10-7 lead and desperately wanted to run time off the clock. They turned to Powell.
With 3:08 remaining, Powell gained 8 yards on first down. On the next play, he took the handoff from quarterback Matt Kuykendall and was immediately hit. Instead of losing 3 yards, Powell carried defenders on his back and ended up gaining 6 yards.
"That's Donnie," Meunier said. "A lot of coaches we talk to say he may not be as fast as some people that they play, but usually one or two guys can never bring him down for less than 7 or 8 yards."
The last of Powell's 34 attempts was a 13-yard TD that put the game out of reach. Powell amassed more than 2,000 yards in his junior season to exceed 4,600 for his first three years. This season, he has 1,600-plus yards. "We knew what we were up against," Northside coach Bob Dare said. "He's just a real tough kid."
