We had some Monday night football action between Miege and Aquinas this week, and I was lucky enough to go see it. As most of you know already, Aquinas prevailed 46-21.

But the game was certainly closer than it appeared. Miege only trailed 24-21 with around six minutes left in the game. But the floodgates opened when the Stags were stuffed on a fourth and 1 in their own territory and the Saints ripped off three touchdowns to seal the win.

Despite the final score, I think we learned a lot about each team. Here are a few quick observations.

St. Thomas Aquinas

*First and foremost, one player I shouldn't have left out of my preseason players to watch blog is receiver Zach Bourquin. Bourquin, who caught three touchdown passes against the Stags, has terrific hands and knows how to get open. if Nachbar puts the ball in his vicinity -which he did often on Monday - there's a good chance Bourquin will catch it.

*Coach Kevin Kopecky knows his team has to stop with the turnovers and foolish penalties. The Saints got three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties during the game (by my count, anyway), including two on one play in the third quarter that swung the momentum toward Miege and led to a near-comeback. Yes, there was plenty of woofing between the teams, so the Saints weren't alone. But penalties are the mark of an undisciplined team, and guess what - undisciplined teams don't win state titles. Luckily for the Saints, they still have time to turn this around.

*My guess is the Saints may look to get the ball to RB/WR Dagan Reed more. He's just a sophomore, and he's not as big as his brother Kyler (who is currently a freshman at Nebraska) but he is really quick and could give defenses fits.

*QB Ricky Nachbar made a few terrible throws on Monday (hence the interceptions), but he eventually showed why we considered him to be one of the top quarterbacks in Johnson County. His 80 yard run in the second half and his three touchdown passes were instrumental in the Saints' win.

Bishop Miege

*Receiver Justin McCay is the real deal. The 6-foot-4 junior burnt the Saints' defense with a 71 yard touchdown in the first quarter in which he outjumped the defensive back on a deep pass and outran everyone else to the end zone.

*Since when did Bishop Miege's offensive line get so big? While I was sitting in the press box, I heard a few people comment about the size of their offensive tackles. Their right tackle, who was just a sophomore, was around 6-4, 300 pounds.

*I like the Stags' defense. They are opportunistic, tough and forced a bunch of turnovers on Monday. They eventually wore down later in the game. The offense simply put them in too many bad situations.

*Running back Andrew Cage is shifty and fast. Once playoff time comes, he could give other 4A teams fits.

*Quarterback Max Shortell is tall and has a nice arm, but he threw too many interceptions on Monday. If the Stags hope to beat 5A and 6A teams this season, they must take care of the ball better.