By Greg Gulas

sports@vindy.com

WARREN

Evan Boyd’s 2-yard plunge in overtime and a big stop on defense gave the Warren JFK football team Saturday’s 28-27 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas at Mollenkopf Stadium.

The Eagles earned a share of the North Coast League’s White Division.

With the score tied at 21after regulation, the Knights (8-2, 4-1) won the coin flip and opted to play defense.

Boyd’s score and Justin Bofenkamp’s placement gave the Eagles (9-1, 4-1) a 28-21 lead.

The Knights quickly countered when quarterback Jarryd Palek found Andrew Duplin from 14 yards out to pull to within 28-27.

Aquinas opted to go for two and a win, but JFK forced an incomplete pass to secure the victory.

“The call was slot with fullback motion, a play that we put in just this week for our game with St. Thomas Aquinas,” Boyd said of his touchdown. “We ran it a few times earlier in the game, but didn’t have much success.

“Give our offensive line all the credit because they opened the hole and I just found the end zone. After last week’s loss to Villa Angela-St. Joseph, this was a big bounce-back win for us.”

The Eagles took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards in a little more than eight minutes, capping the drive off with a Gregory Valent 1-yard run for a 7-0 lead.

“A win like this gives us a big boost heading to the playoffs,” Valent said.

JFK had already clinched a Division VII playoff berth. The official pairings will be announced this afternoon.

Palek found Aaron Hoffman for a 38-yard TD early in the second quarter to tie it at 7.

The score stayed tied at intermission, but JFK ran 37 plays to the Knights’ nine in the first half, giving up just 41 yards.

“Our kids really showed up on the offensive side of the ball tonight,” Eagles head coach Jeff Bayuk said. “We did some things to exploit their defense and for the first time since the second week of the season, we were almost at full strength and that’s a great feeling heading to Week 11.

“We really found ways to shoot ourselves in the foot, but it wasn’t due to lack of effort and that’s why I love them to death.”

The Eagles received a boost with the return of Jacob Coates, who had been sidelined with a broken collarbone for seven weeks.

Ross Nocera scored the first of his two TDs four minutes into the third and JFK took a 13-6 lead into the fourth.

A Nathan Rich 4-yard run gave Aquinas a 14-13 margin midway through the final quarter.

Nocera’s second TD , a 4-yard run, and Ryan Lee’s two-point conversion, gave JFK a 21-14 lead with 3:27 to play.

“Our offensive line gave us great push all night,” Nocera said.

Palek connected with Hoffman from 9 yards out with 49 seconds remaining to force the extra session.

“We were a bend-but-don’t-break defense in the first half and other than that early touchdown drive, we didn’t do a good job of sustaining our other drives,” Knights head coach Badre Bardawil said.