SHERRARD – Beginning the season with a young team in several key areas, St. Bede coach Jim Eustice turned to senior leaders John and Ryan Brady to lead the Bruins in Friday’s season opener at Sherrard, and the pair paved the way to a 28-14 victory.

John Brady scored all four St. Bede touchdowns and ran for 230 yards on 32 carries while also completing 7 of 16 passes for 122 yards.

Ryan Brady, meanwhile, broke up two passes, one of which was in the end zone, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble.

“They’re football junkies,” Eustice said. “They’re not big, but they’ve got heart and they put the team on their shoulders tonight.”

St. Bede saw its first drive into opposing territory end on fourth down in the first quarter, and the Tigers’ first opportunity in the Bruins’ half of the field fizzled after a trio of holding penalties.

John Brady tossed a 30-yard pass to Ben Wallace on a fade route then found Wallace again on a 13-yard completion to set up first down at the Sherrard 13.

John Brady ran up the middle for the game’s first score on the next play, overpowering would-be tackler Kyler Schmidt at the goal line.

The point-after attempt was blocked, leaving the score at 6-0 where it remained until halftime.

The Tigers’ first drive of the second half ended at the St. Bede 20 as Ryan Brady picked off a fourth down pass and returned it 17 yards.

The possession ended on downs, however, as Wallace’s diving catch on the right sideline was ruled incomplete.

The Bruins soon had the ball back, however, as Ryan Brady recovered a fumble forced by Callum Setzer at the Sherrard 47.

John Brady broke free for a 31-yard touchdown run off left tackle with 1:40 left in the third quarter, hitting Wallace for a two-point conversion pass that increased the Bruins’ lead to 14-0.

The Tigers got on the board just two plays later as quarterback Holland Anderson hit Carter Brown for a 75-yard touchdown pass over the top of the St. Bede defense.

John Brady responded with a 43-yard scoring run with 10:44 left in the fourth quarter before Anderson struck again, this time on a 51-yarder to Schmidt, to make the score 21-14 with 9:58 on the clock.

Taking the ball at their own 28-yard line, the Bruins put the contest away with a punishing 15-play, 72-yard drive that consumed more than eight minutes and ended with John Brady’s 6-yard run to the end zone.

“Overall, our execution offensively was very good,” Eustice said. “We had some mistakes in the first half with some missed blocks and other things, but we knew there would be some of that in the first game.

“The offensive line really stepped it up in the second half. To take the ball with nine minutes to go and be able to eat up the clock and score to seal it, that says a lot about our kids.”

Wallace caught five passes for 93 yards for the Bruins, while Connor Brown recorded a quarterback sack, Ben Burke forced a fumble and Landon Jackson collected an interception on Sherrard’s final offensive play.

The Bruins host Erie-Prophetstown on Friday.