Brooks Borman provided a spark for St. Thomas Academy early in the second half, and he led a swarming defense that clinched the game in the final minute.

With 33 seconds left and Rochester Mayo 13 yards away from a potential game-tying score, Isaac Peterson took the handoff on 4th-and-1 and tried to go into the right side of the line. Borman and fellow inside linebacker Kristian Cercioglu were the first Cadets to meet the senior quarterback.

“We had an inside linebacker blitzing. I wrapped around, and we got enough guys to the ball and stopped him,” Borman said. “Seeing the ref call him short just got all the boys hyped.”

It only seems appropriate the defense had the game-deciding play because that side of the ball was the difference Saturday afternoon in a 21-14 Class 5A quarterfinal w

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