Adrian Dater
| Special to The State Journal-Register
(This story will be updated with photos from Friday’s game)
JACKSONVILLE — After getting waxed by 43 points in their season-opener at home, sympathy cards were already being drafted for the 2025 Sacred Heart-Griffin football team. Put those cards in the paper shredder.
The Cyclones have rebounded back with a vengeance since that home-opener to a very good St. Louis Christian Brothers High School team as quarterback Cam Brinkman has led SHG to two straight wins, by a combined score of 120-40.
The latest win was over Jacksonville, 55-20, Friday night at Kraushaar-Rosenberger Field. Brinkman passed for 157 yards and one touchdown, but it was the Cyclones’ ground game that trampled over the Crimsons’ defense in the first week of Central State Eight Conference play. The Cyclones rushed for 394 yards, with Brinkman, Mikey Groesch and Ryan Broomfield each rushing for two touchdowns.
Brinkman, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound junior with quick feet and a good arm, listed several factors as to how his team has bounced back so dramatically from Week 1.
“Offense is starting to click, getting better every game,” Brinkman said. “We’ve had some great game plans, so credit to the coaches. I wouldn’t say it’s been major tweaks in the system. It’s just been watching film, getting guys’ techniques better, and just maybe firing up the guys a little more.”
Jacksonville (1-2, 0-1 CS8) was very much in the football game, down just 7-6 in the second quarter, when everything started to go wrong. Junior receiver Austin Rutter caught a 30-yard pass to the Jacksonville 33, then Brinkman ran it in from 17 yards to give SHG a 14-6 lead.
After being forced to punt, a bad snap over the punter’s head saw the ball roll down to the Crimsons’ 6, where it was recovered by the Cyclones. Groesch ran it in from there and suddenly it was 21-6 with 5:51 left in the half.
The game became really lopsided after Broomfield, a 5-10, 225-pound running back, ran for 38 yards to the Crimsons’ 4, then ran it to paydirt from there for one of his two scores and a 28-6 SHG lead at the half.
“Ultimately, I think the difference tonight was they dominated the offensive and defensive line,” Jacksonville coach Mark Grounds said. “That’s just something that age and the weight room have to cure.”
Jacksonville is a young team, with seven sophomores starting on offense. Grounds thinks his team will be very good eventually, but some growing pains likely remain in the offing.
“You start seven sophomores, and some days they’re going to look great and some days they’re going to have some ups and downs,” Grounds said. “The inconsistency of youth, I thought (was a factor) tonight.”
Cyclones (2-1, 1-0 CS8) coach John Allison said his team is still missing some key players to injury, but is getting healthier not just with the body, but the mind.
“We’ve got a lot of guys moving around. We’ve had to switch a lot of positions, with some injuries, but we’ve got some younger guys stepping up,” Allison said. “Austin Rutter had a great night tonight, and he wasn’t involved a lot in the offense the first couple weeks. And, obviously, Broomfield and Groesch are still running really well. And, I think Cam has really shown what he can do with his legs the last two weeks.”
Jacksonville’s Carlito Mitchell, a freshman, was the bright light for the Crimsons with two touchdown runs.
Brinkman, who now has six touchdown passes, isn’t getting ahead of himself. The Cyclones will play a very tough Quincy Notre Dame team Friday night at Ken Leonard Field, and the Raiders outscored opponents 92-6 in their first two games.
“Things are getting better, but it’s all about working harder and trying to get even better,” Brinkman said.
Adrian Dater is a freelance writer for The State Journal-Register. He can be reached through the sports department at sports@sj-r.com.