Raffa rallies St. Anthony's to victory

Charlie Raffa scored two touchdowns and helped erase a 14-point second quarter deficit, as St. Anthony's defeated State College High School, 28-17, in the Friars' season opener in Pennsylvania Friday.

Raffa's 47-yard touchdown run with 11:03 left in the game broke a tie at 14 to give St. Anthony's the lead. Down 14-0 in the second quarter, it was also Raffa to shift the momentum.

Less than a minute into the second quarter, Raffa ran the option, broke two tackles and split two defenders to sail into the end zone on a 72-yard run to help cut the Friars' deficit to 14-7. Dariyan Riley's 18-yard touchdown run tied the score at the half. "He played unbelievably," St. Anthony's coach Rich Reichert said of Raffa. "We were down 14-0 . . . and nothing was going right. We never panicked. He ran the ball and made some great decisions."

State College drew to within 21-17 on a 38-yard field goal, but Riley, new to the team after transferring from Louisiana, again showed his worth. His 24-yard run late in the fourth quarter provided the final margin.

Raffa finished with 185 yards on 14 carries. St. Anthony's will next take on Holy Cross at home on Friday night.