SHINER – St. Joseph quarterback Jacob Bordovsky dove into the end zone for a two-point conversion with 23 seconds left to lift the Flyers to a 21-20 come-from-behind victory over Shiner St. Paul on Friday night.

On a night that saw the Flyers and Cardinals meet for the first time since 2005, the rekindled rivalry did not disappoint.

St. Paul, behind senior running back Joseph Natal, ran the ball effectively the entire night. Behind a stout offensive line, Natal and the Cardinals drove down the field and scored on their first possession. Natal’s 6-yard scoring run put the Cardinals up 7-0 midway through the first quarter.

The Flyers’ offense struggled the entire first half against an aggressive St. Paul defense. The Cardinals’ defense constantly penetrated the line of scrimmage, stopping St. Joseph’s running and passing attempts.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ passing game was having difficulty against the Flyers’ quick defensive backs. Quincy Johnson intercepted a pass on St. Paul’s first possession of the second quarter. Midway through the quarter, Johnson’s teammate J’Den Miller intercepted another Cardinals pass.

St. Paul’s Kellen Opela had an interception of his own to end a Flyers scoring threat at the end of the first half.

With the Cardinals leading 7-0 at the half, the Flyers knew they would need to make adjustments to be successful in the second.

“We knew they were going to take away our best plays,” St. Joseph coach Bryan Jones said. “We had to answer the bell in the second half, and that’s what happened.”

Flyers offensive coordinator DJ Monroe knew getting the ball out of Bordovsky’s hand quicker would be key to a comeback.

“We harped on getting the ball out quicker a lot at the half,” Monroe said. “He definitely stepped up and did what he needed to do.”

St. Paul scored on a 3-yard dive by Natal on its first possession of the second half.

Down 13-0, the Flyers’ offense came alive. Bordovsky hit an open J’Den Miller for a 32-yard score to cut the deficit to 13-7.

On the Cardinals’ next possession the Flyers recovered one of two St. Paul fumbles on the night.

The Flyers took advantage of the turnover as Bordovsky struck again, this time on a 17-yard scoring pass to Hayden Wuensche that tied the game at 13.

“We started running the hurry-up offense,” Bordovsky said of the second-half adjustments. “We started popping little slants in the holes and we just spread out the field.”

The Cardinals opened the fourth quarter with a 4-yard Natal touchdown run. Natal finished the evening with 232 yards on 38 carries and three touchdowns.

“Joseph has always played hard,” St. Paul coach Jake Wachsmuth said. “He runs the ball hard. He plays the game with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm. He’s been a big player for us over the last few years.”

After a few Flyer drives were stalled by penalties and defensive stops by the Cardinals, the Flyers’ defense recovered a Cardinal fumble with 2:59 remaining in the game. St. Joseph drove down the field and scored on a last- minute 15-yard pass from Bordovskyto Miller. That set up Bordovsky’s two-point run to give the Flyers the victory.

Despite the loss, Wachsmuth said his young team give it their all.

“They played their hearts out,” he said. “We did a lot of good things. We battled. I’m very proud of them.”

The Flyers (2-0) play at Industrial next week, while St. Paul (0-2) is at Austin St. Stephen’s Episcopal.