Senior Kevin Sullivan filled the stat sheet with a batted pass and interception on defense and a touchdown catch on offense as Rockhurst manhandled the St. Louis University High Jr. Bills on senior night Oct. 24, 2025, 35-14.
In the first true cold-weather game of the year, the Hawklets laid an imposing victory over their Jesuit rivals in a game that was 28-7 at the half. A 73-yard touchdown sprint by Lindenwood commit Jordan Taylor with 38 seconds to play in the first half was the only thing that prevented a shutout through the first two quarters, and it was really the only true blemish on an otherwise dominant defensive showing overall.
After deferring to the second half, the Hawklets forced a quick stop before working an efficient 74-yard scoring drive to begin the onslaught. The seven-play drive included a 44-yard shot to Blake Thomas and five carries for Cash Lewandowski, the last of which resulted in the first of three trips to the end zone as the standout junior recorded another hat-trick.
After recording 75 yards on the ground and 48 more through the air in this game, Lewandowski ended his regular season with 832 rushing yards and 1,474 all-purpose yards, both top marks for Class 5 players in the Kansas City area.
After a quick three-and-out and a short punt on the ensuing SLUH drive, Rockhurst head coach Kelly Donohoe called the number of sophomore Tristan Johnson on a pair of plays, after Johnson dropped a short pass on the opening drive. Johnson put his athleticism on display on a pop pass, juking one defender before shedding the tackle of another en route to a 20-yard score.
As Taylor and the Jr. Bills offense began to gain some momentum on their third drive, defensive coordinator Vinny Careswell’s outfit stole it all back as a Kyren Eleby screen pass was tipped by a blitzing Luke Connell and collected by Sullivan. The University of Kansas commit took the ball back 70 yards. He followed that up by catching a three-yard touchdown pass from Garret Miller, making it 21-0.
Sullivan credited the interception and his earlier tipped pass to the week’s preparations.
“We saw it on film all week. They were going to throw that little quick screen pass, so I was just kind of ready for it,” Sullivan said. “Luke Connell blitzed the gap, got the tip, and I just did the rest.”
Later, Lewandowski scored his second touchdown of the night, increasing the lead to 28, before Taylor’s long score gave the defense all the fuel they needed to come out and dominate the second half. Senior safety Pierce Fisher commended the team for their response.
“It’s really in the locker room, telling everyone you can’t let up. [It’s a] 0-0 ball game and we gotta keep the foot on the pedal,” Fisher said.
SLUH attempted to maintain the momentum from Taylor’s long touchdown by recovering a surprise onside kick to begin the second half. The Hawklet defense ended the threat when sophomore defensive back Elijah Curtis, who took outside corner reps in lieu of injured starter Colin Powell, tipped a pass in the back right corner of the end zone, resulting in a Carter Mullen interception.
The Hawklets frequently had multiple defenders around Eleby’s intended receivers, showing good range against an athletic group of skill players. Fisher, who recorded multiple pass breakups on the back end, was proud of the group’s effort one week after a 21-12 road loss to Liberty North.
“I thought we had a great night…we definitely brought a lot more energy this game than last game,” Fisher said.
Senior night was in full effect by the fourth quarter, as multiple fourth-year reserves took the field in front of the home crowd.
“It feels amazing that we get to do it for all the seniors,” Sullivan said.
“I know these guys work so hard for it. I’m happy that they got their time tonight,” Fisher said.
After finishing their season with a 7-2 record, Rockhurst now enters the district tournament as the No. 2 seed in their district, behind only undefeated Platte County. The Hawklets now face a short turnaround as they’ll host William Chrisman Thursday night at Dasta Memorial Stadium.
Players don’t expect the altered schedule to affect their preparations.
“We just try to keep everything as normal as possible throughout the week,” Fisher said.
Sullivan emphasized the need to approach the playoffs with intensity as the Hawklets search for the program’s tenth state title.
“We just gotta keep coming to practice locked in, and keep getting after it…we know that we haven’t done nothing yet.”
