ELSAH, IL – The Principia Thunder Chickens defeated the Aquinas College Saints 22-7 on Saturday in an exciting home match in front of a big homecoming crowd. The Thunder Chickens shook off another slow start and ultimately showcased dominant play and resilience on both sides of the ball despite missing key players due to injuries.
For the third straight game, the Thunder Chickens conceded the first try of the match as Aquinas capitalized on early momentum to take a 7-0 lead midway through the first half. Principia responded quickly with a brilliant passing sequence that sparked their comeback.
Tinashe Dobbie initiated the play, passing to
Damir Conci, who linked up with
Andy Naringo, who fed
Tobin Blair, who offloaded to
Braian Song for his first try of the season to close the gap to 7-5. Then with just five minutes remaining in the first half, the Thunder Chickens took control. Conci made a quick offload to
Charles Luhanga, who burst through the defensive line and set up Naringo for a trailing run, which he finished with a dive into the try zone to give Principia a 12-7 lead at halftime.
Naringo continued to shine in the second half, extending Principia's lead with a stunning solo run through the Saints' defense. Weaving past defenders, he capped off the play with a superman dive under the posts to put Principia up 19-7. Later in the half, Conci added to the lead with a penalty kick to make it 22-7, a score that would hold as the final. Throughout the match, the Thunder Chickens' defense held strong, stifling Aquinas' attempts to get back into the game. Several players stepped up in the absence of some key starters as Principia preserved the lead and ensured the victory.
With the win, the 4-0 Thunder Chickens secured the top spot in the BRRC west division and earned a bye straight to the conference semifinals. When the new NCR power rankings were released on Tuesday, Principia had moved up two spots to #6, the program's highest ever ranking in Division I. The Thunder Chickens will next take the field on November 1st at 8:00 pm at the Lions for Hope Sports Complex in Chicago as they look to punch their ticket to the conference championship.
