Entering Saturday's afternoon contest on Ott Field, the Chaminade Flyers had just pulled out two remarkable road victories against quality opponents. The vibe could not have been higher.

Despite being the underdog, however, the St. Peter's Eagles came into Gold Star Stadium and stunned the Alumni Weekend crowd by taking down the Flyers, 20-7. 

"I think we kept our poise. We didn't panic," said St. Peter's co-head coach Robert Sica. "I thought we played really well on both sides of the ball, and I think up front defensively, with the pressure we were able to get, their quarterback didn't have the time to really throw today."

"We came out flat," reflected Chaminade head coach Tom Claro. "We really struggled on offense, and defensively, we gave up some big plays that really hurt us."

The two squads came into the matchup with palindromic records - Chaminade at 3-1 and St. Peter's 1-3. The Flyers had just come off back-to-back overtime victories on the road against Seton Hall Prep and Archbishop Stepinac, while the Eagles were reeling from tough losses at the hands of Xavier and Monsignor Farrell. 

After fumbling on their initial possession, the Eagles marched down the field on their second drive and scored. Sophomore skill player Ben Terry led the charge, as he picked up chunk gains both on the ground and in the air. He finished off the drive with a 27-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 in favor of the visitors.

Terry was listed on the roster as a receiver but played running back for the first time in his varsity career because the Eagles' top two running backs were banged up, while the third back, Nick Gnerre, is primarily a linebacker and only plays offense when absolutely necessary. 

Terry played well in his first game at the position, carrying the ball 15 times for a solid 75 yards. 

"Ben is a dynamic player; he's explosive, and he can catch the ball really well out of the backfield," said Sica. "We just told him all week that we're going to ride him and that we had faith in him, and he really delivered for us."

While the Chaminade offense scuffled, the St. Peter's unit tacked on to their lead. On third down from their own 30-yard line, QB Anthony D'Acunto launched a deep pass for Anthony Coppola, who caught it in stride and raced all the way to the end zone for a 70-yard house call.

All of a sudden, the Eagles led, 14-0. 

Chaminade got its act together at the end of the first half. After the defense forced a three-and-out and thwarted a fake punt attempt by the Eagles, the offense soaked up the final 3:19 of the frame and scored a crucial touchdown just before intermission. 

Facing a third-and-goal from the 10-yard line, QB Sean Carnevale found receiver Sean Powers at the front right pylon for a big-time touchdown. This cut the Eagles lead in half, making the score 14-7 at intermission. 

Chaminade had numerous chances to even the game in the second half, but they failed each time. The best opportunity came early in the third frame, when the Chaminade offense started inside St. Peter's territory for the second time in the contest. This was thanks to Anthony Trapani, who punched the ball free from a scrambling D'Acunto. Turnover merchant Luca Mastronardi jumped on the loose change, and the Flyers were in business.

However, the Crimson-and-Gold only gained minimal yardage after the fumble, forcing Justin Jones to attempt a 46-yard field goal - one which he missed, keeping the score 14-7.

Despite some early struggles, the Chaminade defense buckled down in the second half and did not allow any more points. This kept the home team in the game and gave the offense opportunities to tie the contest. 

Chaminade knocked on the door late in the third, but, thanks to penalties, they had to settle for another long field goal attempt. This time, Jones's kick was blocked, and the Flyers came up empty yet again.

For the second week in a row, penalties were detrimental for Chaminade. They committed a whopping 17 infractions, much to the dismay of Claro.

"We hurt ourselves with penalties on both sides of the ball. I think, honestly, that penalties hurt us more than anything today," reflected the Flyers head coach. "We were very undisciplined."

St. Peter's had their own issues with flags, as they were called for 15 penalties. 

The Eagles had a chance to stretch the lead at the start of the fourth quarter. However, Coppola missed a short 20-yard kick, giving the Flyers a sliver of hope.

It was a sliver they squandered.

At the 7:37 mark, with the ball at the Eagles 31, Carnevale scrambled right but threw back across his body to the left. This ended up being a disastrous decision, as defensive back Chase Navarro snared the interception and sprinted all the way back for a 68-yard pick six - his second of the campaign - to make it 20-7. 

Chaminade attempted to muster a late comeback, but it was to no avail. 

"They game-planned well for us. With all of our work, with all of the stuff we put in, they just outplayed us," admitted senior tight end Henry Peterson. "They were more physical, more rugged and aggressive, and we couldn't keep up. We weren't expecting what they brought today."

During the late stages of the game, Carnevale left the contest with an injury.  Hugh Lynn came in to finish at quarterback for the Flyers.

Next week, St. Peter's will be on bye. As for Chaminade, they host another AA-I opponent in St. Francis Prep. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday at 1:30 p.m.