Prince

A pair of unlikely heroes, plus a familiar suspect, helped DeSmet stave off CBC.

The Spartans got some clutch running from Notre Dame recruit Munir Prince down the stretch Friday night at CBC.

But it took some spectacular defense from freshman Devin King and the steady relief work of junior quarterback Ben Friedman to secure a 37-26 win in a Metro Catholic Conference football game.

DeSmet, the No. 6 large school in the Post-Dispatch rankings, is 3-0.

CBC, which couldn't quite overcome a 13-0 deficit, fell to 1-2.

Prince, a senior, ran 22 times for 131 yards and three touchdowns on runs of 38, 5 and 5 yards. His clutch running late in the game is what a top Division I recruit is supposed to do.

"Absolutely," DeSmet coach Pat Mahoney said. "That's exactly what he did."

King, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound linebacker, recorded three sacks. Two of the sacks produced fumbles. He recovered one of the fumbles in the end zone for a pivotal TD and a 23-14 third-quarter lead. The other was covered by teammate Sean Dietz and led to Prince's clinching score with 71 seconds to play.

King also made six tackles.

"He's a really active kid," Mahoney said in the night's best understatement. "And he's got a lot of outstanding athletic ability and toughness."

Friedman rode to the rescue after Tommy Corwin, the slick senior quarterback, suffered a second-degree separation of his throwing shoulder late in the first half.

"Ben did an excellent job," Mahoney said. "He was outstanding. But Tommy's all right. He should be back at practice on Monday."

Corwin opened the scoring with a 1-yard run midway through the first quarter. He was injured on an 11-yard keeper in the second quarter that set up Alex Prentice's 21-yard field goal.

That was Prentice's only field goal but not his longest scoring kick. Thanks to two penalties, he had to convert from 40 yards after Prince's final TD.

DeSmet was short-handed from the start on offense. Two of the five starters on its rebuilt interior line sat out with injuries.

The Spartans got another scare in the third period when Paddy Mullen, their other Notre Dame recruit, was decked and limped off the field.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound tight end took a vicious but legal hit from CBC cornerback Isaiah Mares after catching an 11-yard pass.

"It's fine," said Mullen, who came back after a short break and continued to double at defensive end.

For CBC, quarterback David Kanapel, the victim of King's blitzes, scored on a 1-yard run. He also threw for two more TDs on a 4-yard pass to Connor Sexton and a consolation 24-yard pass to Mares.

twheatley@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8108