Phoenix Fall to No. 16 St. Thomas in Season Opener

Box Score

St. Thomas STU 1-0

Cumberland (TN) CU 0-1

St. Thomas STU

1-0

Final

Aug. 27, 2026

Cumberland (TN) CU

0-1

Score By Quarters
Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	F
STU St. Thomas	0	17	0	10	27
CU Cumberland (TN)	0	0	3	3	6

Next Game:

at Ave Maria University

9/12/2026 | 6:00 PM

WANT FM 98.9/WCOR AM 1490

Next Game

Full Schedule

Sep. 12 (Sat) / 6:00 PM

at Ave Maria University

History

Roster

Game Recap: Football | 8/27/2026 9:58:00 PM

Phoenix Fall to No. 16 St. Thomas in Season Opener

Next Game:

at Ave Maria University

9/12/2026 | 6:00 PM

WANT FM 98.9/WCOR AM 1490

Next Game

Full Schedule

Sep. 12 (Sat) / 6:00 PM

at Ave Maria University

History

Roster

Team Statistics

Team Statistics
Game Stats	STU	CU
Total Yards	314	140
Pass Yards	133	134
Rushing Yards	181	6
Penalty Yards	5-64	2-10
1st Downs	13	13
3rd Downs	4-16	4-17
4th Downs	1-2	0-1
TOP	27:44	32:16

Scoring Summary
Scoring Play	Visiting Team Score	Home Team Score
2nd Quarter
10:05 - STU - Geno Lubin 32 yd pass from Jalen Daniels (JAY GIUNTA kick) 1 plays, 32 yards, TOP 0:09	7	0
06:05 - STU - Isaiah Lopez 20 yd run (JAY GIUNTA kick), 6 plays, 50 yards, TOP 2:06	14	0
00:16 - STU - JAY GIUNTA 42 yd field goal 6 plays, 24 yards, TOP 1:42	17	0
3rd Quarter
05:02 - CU - Jack Kantner 30 yd field goal 6 plays, 31 yards, TOP 3:06	17	3
4th Quarter
13:48 - STU - JAY GIUNTA 29 yd field goal 15 plays, 63 yards, TOP 6:08	20	3
10:01 - CU - Jack Kantner 27 yd field goal 11 plays, 65 yards, TOP 3:41	20	6
04:57 - STU - Isaiah Lopez 61 yd run (JAY GIUNTA kick), 1 plays, 61 yards, TOP 0:12	27	6

Total Yards

STU

314

140

Turnovers

STU

First Downs

STU

Total Possession

STU

27:44

32:16

Game Leaders

Receiving Yards

Passing Yards

#12

Jake Parker

134

Rushing Yards

Jaylen Abston

Rashod Daniel

Kaiden Hatchett

Team

-17

Tackles

LEBANON, Tenn.--Cumberland opened the 2026 season with a 27-6 loss to No. 16 St. Thomas on Thursday night at Nokes-Lasater Field.

Cumberland's defense kept the nationally ranked Bobcats scoreless in the opening quarter, but St. Thomas scored 17 points in the second period to take control of the game. Cumberland finished with 140 yards of offense and reached the red zone three times, but the Phoenix were held without a touchdown. Jack Kantner accounted for Cumberland's points with field goals of 30 and 27 yards in the second half.

The Phoenix defense forced two turnovers and recorded three sacks, holding St. Thomas to 314 total yards. The Bobcats pulled away behind 181 rushing yards, including 162 yards and two touchdowns from Isaiah Lopez.

Cumberland recorded 13 first downs and 140 yards on 65 plays. The Phoenix threw for 134 yards but were limited to six net rushing yards after St. Thomas recorded six sacks for 60 yards in losses.

Jake Parker completed 13-of-28 passes for 134 yards with one interception. Kaiden Hatchett led the receiving corps with five catches for 47 yards, while Jordan Parker recorded a 30-yard reception. Jaylen Abston added two catches for 28 yards and led Cumberland on the ground with 41 yards on 11 carries. Abston finished with 69 all-purpose yards.

Kyan Maher caught three passes for 21 yards, and Isaiah O'Neal added an eight-yard reception. Rashod Daniel carried five times for 16 yards.

Kantner converted both of his field-goal attempts, connecting from 30 and 27 yards. Nolan Gottlied averaged 41 yards on nine punts, landed three inside the 20-yard line and recorded a long of 56 yards.

St. Thomas went for 314 total yards, including 133 through the air. Cumberland held the Bobcats to 4-of-16 on third downs and forced two turnovers.

Lance Mathews led the Phoenix with nine tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. Eli Denton posted six tackles, one sack and a pass breakup. Tavarius Pitts recorded five tackles, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry. Knox Watson added five tackles, one tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry, while Josh Jones finished with five stops
.
Cannon Johnson intercepted a pass and recorded four tackles with two tackles for loss. Tyriq Edwards recovered a fumble, broke up three passes and collected four tackles.

St. Thomas generated 314 yards on 64 plays, rushing for 181 yards and throwing for 133. The Bobcats finished 4-of-16 on third down and 1-of-2 on fourth down.
Lopez led the offense with 162 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. He scored on runs of 20 and 61 yards and added one reception for five yards.

Quarterback Jalen Daniels completed 11-of-25 passes for 133 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Geno Lubin caught a 32-yard touchdown pass, while Jaden Fox-Harrington recorded a game-long 38-yard reception.

Alfred Jordan led the Bobcats with five catches for 36 yards. Jaden Alveranga rushed 15 times for 21 yards and caught one pass for eight yards.

Jay Giunta made field goals from 42 and 29 yards and converted all three extra-point attempts.

Zach Marino led all players with 14 tackles and added a tackle for loss and two pass breakups. Kisler Wilson finished with seven tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and a quarterback hurry. Victor Jenkins recorded five tackles and two tackles for loss, while Kevean Herring added five stops. Derrick Small posted three tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss.

Leondrez Leonard intercepted a pass in the second quarter, and Cornell Green recovered a fourth-quarter fumble while adding three tackles and a sack. Keyon Martin recorded three tackles and two pass breakups.

The Phoenix started off strong and created the game's first turnover with 8:21 remaining in the quarter. Pitts forced Alveranga to fumble on fourth down, and Edwards recovered the ball at the St. Thomas 34-yard line.

Cumberland moved to the Bobcats' 25, but a mishandled fourth-down snap pushed the Phoenix backward and ended the scoring opportunity.

St. Thomas later drove inside the Cumberland five-yard line, but the Phoenix defense produced a goal-line stand. Johnson and Watson recorded tackles for loss before Edwards broke up a third-down pass. Giunta missed a 22-yard field goal as the quarter expired, keeping the game scoreless.

St. Thomas broke the tie after a short Cumberland punt gave the Bobcats possession at the CU 32. Daniels connected with Lubin for a 32-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive, putting St. Thomas ahead 7-0 with 10:05 remaining.

The Bobcats doubled their lead on their next possession. Lopez carried three times for 46 yards during the six-play drive, including a 20-yard touchdown run that made it 14-0 with 6:05 left in the half.

Cumberland responded with its best drive of the first half. Abston broke a 17-yard run before Parker found Hatchett for 15 yards, moving the Phoenix to the St. Thomas 20. Leonard ended the drive with an interception in the end zone.

Johnson returned the favor on the Bobcats' next snap, intercepting Daniels at the Cumberland 38. The Phoenix were unable to capitalize, and St. Thomas added a 42-yard field goal from Giunta with 16 seconds remaining to take a 17-0 advantage into halftime.

The defenses traded punts on the first four possessions of the second half before Cumberland started at the St. Thomas 44-yard line with 8:08 remaining.

Abston rushed for 17 yards to the STU 27 before Parker connected with Abston for 19 yards, giving Cumberland a first down at the eight-yard line. The Bobcats kept the Phoenix out of the end zone, but Kantner converted a 30-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 17-3 with 5:02 left in the quarter.

St. Thomas responded with a 15-play drive that carried into the fourth quarter. Lopez produced runs of eight and 17 yards before the Bobcats converted a fourth-and-one at the Cumberland 27. Giunta finished the Bobcats' extended drive with a 29-yard field goal, extending the St. Thomas lead to 20-3 with 13:48 remaining.

Cumberland answered with an 11-play, 65-yard drive. Parker completed passes to O'Neal and Hatchett, while a St. Thomas penalty moved the ball to the 13-yard line. Kantner made a 27-yard field goal with 10:01 remaining to bring the Phoenix within 20-6.

The Phoenix threatened again after forcing a three-and-out. Parker connected with Jordan Parker for 30 yards to the St. Thomas 12, but the Bobcats recorded a sack before Green recovered a Cumberland fumble at the STU 39.

On the next play, Lopez broke free for a 61-yard touchdown run, giving St. Thomas a 27-6 advantage with 4:57 remaining and sealing the victory.

Cumberland will have next week off before traveling to Ave Maria, Fla., to face Ave Maria University on Saturday, Sept. 12.

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