St. Joseph scored 29 unanswered points after falling behind by two touchdowns, rallying for a 29-20 season-opening victory over Niles Friday night at Dickinson Stadium. The Bears trailed 14-0 late in the second quarter before scoring twice in the final 32 seconds of the half to pull even.
Caden LeClear started the comeback with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Nate Schmitt on fourth down with 32 seconds remaining. Six seconds later, Mitchell Wright intercepted a Niles pass, giving the Bears another opportunity before halftime. After a pass-interference penalty moved St. Joseph into Niles territory, LeClear connected with Gabe King for a 39-yard touchdown with one second left, tying the game at 14.
The Bears took their first lead late in the third quarter after recovering a Niles fumble at the Vikings’ 35-yard line. Ishmael Dixon broke a 25-yard run to set up Dinero Mitchell’s four-yard touchdown, putting St. Joseph ahead 21-14. Niles pulled within one on Kadarree Guy’s second touchdown of the night with 5:13 remaining, but Schmitt blocked the extra point to preserve the Bears’ 21-20 lead.
After Niles recovered a St. Joseph fumble, the Bears’ defense answered by forcing another turnover and giving the offense the ball at its own 38 with 2:55 left. LeClear then found Schmitt for a 46-yard touchdown, and Dixon added the two-point conversion to secure the victory. LeClear completed five passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns, Schmitt caught two passes for 79 yards and two scores, and Dixon led the Bears with 105 rushing yards. St. Joseph finished with 298 yards of offense and turned three Niles turnovers into 22 points.
