St. Francis DeSales opened the 2026 season with a victory over Youngstown Ursuline Friday night at Alumni Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Senior quarterback RJ Day completed 24-of-29 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns, spreading the ball around to several different receivers.
Jordan Karhoff led the Stallions with seven receptions, including a two-yard touchdown catch. CJ Wells finished with 64 receiving yards, highlighted by a 39-yard touchdown reception, while Dax Middleton added five catches for 64 yards.
Karhoff's touchdown was the ninth receiving score of his career, moving him into a tie for fourth place on DeSales' all-time list. He joins Chris Roy (1985-87), Ike Ariguzo (2008), Kenny Stafford (2005-07), Jordan Johnson (2019-20) and Justin Thompson (2006-07) with nine career touchdown receptions.
The Stallion defense also made its presence felt, intercepting Ursuline three times. Sophomores Alex Velazquez and Jonah Jenkins each recorded the first interception of their varsity careers, while Dax Middleton provided the biggest defensive play of the night, returning an interception 68 yards for a touchdown.
Senior Kaleb Johnson added a touchdown on the ground, scoring from seven yards out, while Ryan Bangert connected on a 33-yard field goal late in the second quarter to send DeSales into halftime with a 17-7 lead.
The Stallions were able to come away with the season-opening victory despite a penalty-filled night that saw DeSales flagged more than 15 times.
