September 16, 2025 // Diocese

Saint Joe Shuts Out Rival Marian to Win ‘Holy War’ Battle

Eric Peat

What a difference a year can make.

Twelve months after getting shut out by Marian High School in the annual “Holy War” rivalry football game, the Saint Joseph Huskies returned the favor with a 31-0 blanking of the Knights on Friday, September 12, at Saint Joseph’s Father Bly Field in South Bend. The Huskies were able to flip the script thanks to a stifling defensive effort and a heavy dose of senior running back Franco Biffle, who rushed for a career-high three touchdowns. It marked just the third victory in the series in the last 12 tries for Saint Joseph (4-0) and ended a two-game skid to Marian (2-2).

“That definitely was a focus, for sure,” Huskies senior middle linebacker Mason Kazmierzak said of reversing last year’s 27-0 defeat at Marian’s Otolski Field. “Obviously, it’s a next-game mentality for us, but that left a little bad feeling in our gut. So, we definitely wanted to get our get-back, especially for last year’s seniors and any senior that hasn’t been able to beat Marian.”

After a scoreless first quarter, the Huskies grabbed control in the second with a flurry of big plays. A Biffle touchdown run was followed by a quick defensive stop, and a fumble on the ensuing Marian punt resulted in a safety. Two plays later, Biffle found the endzone again, lowering his shoulder and bouncing off a would-be tackler at the goal line as the Huskies took a 15-0 lead into halftime.

“I mean, my offensive line, they just came out here and they showed it today,” Biffle told Today’s Catholic after the game. “They dominated at the front, and I was just able to get behind them and find the hole and make it to the end zone.”

Of Biffle’s ability to take over a game, Huskies coach Ben Downey said: “He’s been able to do this ever since his freshman year, really. His sophomore year, he really burst onto the scene and had some of us coaches kind of open our eyes a little bit and say, ‘Whoa, this guy can be pretty special.’ So, he worked extra hard this past offseason to be in better shape for his senior year … and it’s paying dividends.”

The Huskies’ defense stood strong in the third quarter, snuffing out the Knights’ best scoring chance with a stop on fourth and goal from the 9-yard line. In the final quarter, Biffle and freshman running back Will Sollman added rushing touchdowns, while the Saint Joe defense forced another safety – an exclamation point on a dominant night.

“There’s nothing better than that,” said Kazmierzak, who spent much of his night in the Marian backfield, finishing with two sacks and contributing to one of the safeties. “We were playing as one, the energy was high, we are just playing together – playing as a brotherhood.”

Through four games, the Huskies’ defense has allowed a total of 19 points, fifth lowest in the state and tops in Class 4A. While Kazmierzak credited his defensive coaches for creating schemes that allow the defense to “play freely and not think at all,” Downey said their role extends beyond the X’s and O’s.

“Our defensive coaches are intelligent; they know what they’re doing, but I think what really helps is that they have fun with each other and they have great relationships with the guys,” Downey said. “The beauty of these defensive coaches is that they can challenge the players while also having fun, and that’s a hard thing to do, whether you’re a teacher, coach, parent, whatever.”

Saint Joseph is off to its first 4-0 start since 2014, during Ben Downey’s first stint as head coach. The Huskies are also a perfect 2-0 in Northern Indiana Conference play, keeping pace with Elkhart and Penn atop the conference standings. While Downey said he believes the fast start will “increase confidence and good habits,” he was also quick to downplay its significance.

“There’s only so much you can take from a record,” Downey said, referencing his first year as head coach, when Saint Joe started 0-3 but ended up in the Class 3A state championship game. “You have to look at who you’re playing, because there are some teams out there that may be 1-3 or even 0-4 that are just playing a meat grinder of a schedule. So, no disrespect to our opponents, but I can’t look into a record too much. But there’s no denying the fact that being 4-0 in a sport this demanding is just a thousand times more pleasant than anything else.”

At the conclusion of the game, both teams gathered at midfield to take a knee and pray together. This tradition, while uniting brothers of differing backgrounds with one another, also unites them in Christ and elevates the Catholic mission of both schools.

“It just makes it special,” Biffle said. “I mean, we all grew up together, during middle school and stuff like that, and all played sports together, so just having this moment – I mean, leading up to it, there was a lot of trash talk and stuff – but it was fun overall, and those are still my guys at the end of the day off the field.”

“They call it the ‘Holy War,’ but at times, people aren’t too holy when they’re competing, because it is such a fierce rivalry,” Downey admitted. “So there’s a lot of pressure, there’s a lot of anxiety about it, but when it’s all said and done – and I give credit to [former coach, teacher, and chaplain] Father [Walter] Bly for this – he made us get together and pray, and it kind of just refocuses you on the fact that, yes, we love this, we care about it, we pour our time and energy into it, but when it’s all said and done, God is more important, religion is more important, and life is more important.”