Blake’s Johnny Curran recently was scanning through a list of state scoring leaders, looking for names of his Bears teammates.

“I was looking in the paper at the top scorers and I didn’t see one kid from Blake,” the senior midfielder said. “And I think that just speaks to how we try to play a team game -- share the ball.”

Share the ball.

Curran might as well have those three words tattooed on his arm or shaved in his head. That’s all he did in Friday’s 14-10 victory over Holy Angels at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield.

Share the ball. Curran’s slick passing resulted in at least four textbook-efficient goals. He was an equal-opportunity distributor, setting up Bryan Kennedy, Grant Oie, Tom Bauer and Quinn Ellis for second-half goals.

“He does a ton for us, he really does,” Blake coach Frank Clark said about Curran. “From our standpoint, we’re not too worried about who they pole. The game plan adjusts to whoever they pole, and today (Curran) was in that (passing) role. 

“He got it done.”

Curran scored a goal to go with his four assists. But scoring goals really isn’t his thing. He has five this season to go with his 13 assists. Only Oie, with 14, has more assists than Curran.

“Just look for my teammates,” Curran said about his role. “They do a great job of getting open.”

Blake’s teamwork extended to the defensive end, where the Bears (7-3) held Holy Angels star midfielder Scott McNamara without a goal for the first time this season. McNamara has six games this season with at least three goals.

The loss was just the second this season for the Stars (8-2). Blake, meanwhile, has won seven of its last eight, with the lone loss a one-goal heartbreaker on May 7 against defending state champion Eden Prairie.

 “That’s our goal from the start of the season, get one-percent better every day,” Curran said.


Holy Angels attacker Sam Turner shakes off Blake defender Crey Bankes in a 14-10 loss at home. Photo by Rick Orndorf

First Report

Grant Oie and Bryan Kennedy each had four goals, and Johnny Curran had four assists as No. 7-ranked Blake beat No. 12 Holy Angels 14-10 on Friday night at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield.

The Bears lead 5-4 early in the second quarter when they went on an 8-1 scoring run to take control. Holy Angels trailed 14-6 before scoring four unanswered goals in the closing minutes.

Six players scored for Blake (7-3) in their decisive run that spanned the second and third quarters. 

Sam Turner scored five goals to pace Holy Angels (8-2). Turner has 28 goals this season to rank among the top 10 in the state.

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