Friday proved to be a tough one for the St. Mary’s football team against Tempe High. The Knights fell 32-16 to drop to 2-4 on the season.

The Knights struggled to gain momentum from the start, but the Pacheco brothers prevented this team from a complete blowout.

Alex Pacheco, senior starting quarterback, often looked to his younger brother, Anthony Pacheco, in times of need.

“[Our chemistry] was really good,” said Alex Pacheco. “We’ve had this chemistry for a long time already and we saw it out here tonight.”

All three touchdown passes for the Knights were courtesy of the Pacheco brothers.

“He’s my person,” Alex Pacheco said.

Generally a rushing team more than a passing team, the Knights decided to switch it up against their tough opponent. As an outside receiver, Anthony Pacheco was a prime target for his brother.

“We knew Tempe was very physical and since we’re missing a tailback, we figured we wouldn’t be able to be a ground-and-pound run team, so we knew we had to spread it out and pass more often,” said head coach Tom Brittain.

This was the first week that Anthony Pacheco was able to play after being sidelined by injury.

“It was great to see that connection back,” Brittain said. “Anthony has been working hard for 10 weeks and finally got to play and we know he’s very talented.”

Coming off of a slow start, the second half truly showed what this team is capable of: a touchdown followed by a successful two-point conversion and an onside kick.

Another vital member of this St. Mary’s team is Seamus Sullivan, a wide receiver, kicker and defensive back. Playing on both sides of the ball, Sullivan was out there practically the entire game.

Sullivan acknowledges that it is “pretty hard” but he just “keeps working at practice and gets better.” 

In the coming weeks, Brittain hopes to work on their running game after a seemingly poor performance.

“We got to continue to work on the run so teams can’t gas us,” he said.

Brittain also acknowledged the fact that the Pacheco brothers will only play four more games together.

“Unfortunately, Alex is a senior and Anthony is just a sophomore," he said, "but they are going to make the most of it in the weeks ahead.”