WCAC
Gonzaga earns return to playoffs
Gonzaga 35, St. John's 34
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Gonzaga's Kevin Hogan knew exactly how the Eagles' regular season finale against St. John's would end.
"Definitely whoever had the ball last was going to win," the junior quarterback said.
Hogan made sure of that. After throwing for 297 yards, Hogan dropped back into pass coverage and intercepted St. John's at the Gonzaga 3-yard line with 21 seconds left to give the Eagles (6-4, 4-3) a thrilling 35-34 victory and propel them into the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference playoffs for the first time since 2005.
Before an estimated 3,000 at Blair High, these rivals staged one of their most memorable meetings. Not only was a playoff spot the reward for the winner, but the game featured three lead changes, four ties and perhaps the best two players on the field playing their best.
Hogan completed 13 of 23 passes, but was in a zone in the third quarter, when he rallied the Eagles ( from a 21-14 halftime deficit. Hogan connected on all seven of his passes in the quarter for 197 yards, threading beautiful tosses to five different receivers on perfect crossing patterns. Hogan's 12-yard toss to Ricky Neville and subsequent two-point conversion with four minutes left in the third quarter put Gonzaga up 28-21.
St. John's (5-5, 3-4) has a star of its own who more than accounted for himself. Senior running back Charles Brown rushed 34 times for 353 yards and four touchdowns. His 40-yard run on the subsequent drive set up his two-yard scoring run three plays later to tie it at 28.
After the teams exchanged punts, St. John's took over at its 32 with seven minutes left and drove deep into Gonzaga territory. On second and 15 at the Eagles 21, St. John's connected on an eight-yard pass before fumbling along the Gonzaga sideline.
Cadets defensive back James Valeiras scooped it up in stride and raced down the sideline untouched to make it 35-28 with 2 minutes 9 seconds left.
St. John's didn't flinch. After a 25-yard pass on first down from Andrew Konieczka to Danny Wright, Brown ran for 12 yards and then 31 more for a touchdown with 1:32 left. The Cadets, however, missed the extra point.
