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NEWELL – Matt Dillon felt an added sense of importance going into last Friday's district opener with Newell-Fonda.
And with the way the contest started, the veteran head coach felt extremely nervous.
But St. Edmond would settle in, putting together a second straight balanced offensive performance in earning a convincing 40-28 victory over the Mustangs.
Thomas Ehn completed 17 of 35 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns, adding a third rushing score, as Matthew Crimmins ran for 106 yards and scored three times to lead the Gaels (2-1 overall, 1-0 in district).
"I'm honestly still not 100 percent sure what our identity as a football team is, but these kids are finding ways to get the job done," Dillon said. "In the end, that's what really matters.
"Thomas had another big game, Matthew ran the ball extremely hard, the line made holes and the defense made plays. It was a really big game – and a really big one to get."
St. Edmond will take on 2024 state champion Remsen St. Mary's Friday for Homecoming at Dodger Stadium before a trip to defending state champion Bishop Garrigan the following week.
"Coming off a win over Glidden-Ralston, I thought it was important that we come out and play well," Dillon said. "Granted, we didn't at the start, but we handled the adversity well."
Newell-Fonda (0-2, 0-1) jumped on St. Edmond, as Gunnar Baron darted 40 yards for a touchdown on the first possession of the game for the Mustangs. Baron finished with 110 yards rushing and two scores, as Jackson Bellcock added 105 yards rushing and a TD.
Like the start of the game, Newell-Fonda did score on the first possession of the second half when Bellcock broke free for 55 yards. Outside of those two plays, though, the Mustangs were held to 147 yards of total offense.
"Great, great game by the defense," Dillon said. "They took advantage of us on those two plays to score, but we came back strong. Coach (Mark) McDermott put the kids in a position to make plays, and they came through."
After the Mustangs tied it at 28-all early in the third, the Gaels rallied, as Ehn hit Ty Mericle on a 54-yard touchdown pass in the fourth. After forcing a punt, St. Edmond marched down the field for the final points, as Crimmins broke free from 28 yards out.
Mericle finished with five receptions for 82 yards, Blake Bartlett caught a 33-yard TD from Ehn and had four receptions for 76, as Griffin Laufersweiler grabbed six passes for 42 yards. Ehn added 68 yards on the ground.
Thomas Mercer had a receiving touchdown from Baron.
Newell-Fonda will head to GTRA Friday for another district game before returning home to host Harris-Lake Park the following week for Homecoming.