It took Robbinsdale Armstrong standout Kevon Johnson a little while to get rolling Friday night. But while the Falcons waited for their standout senior running back, their defense held serve. And when Johnson finally broke free on touchdown runs of 21 and 73 yards in the second half, it proved just enough to lift Armstrong past St. Thomas Academy 20-14 at Armstrong Stadium. “I was just eager to get back on the field (for the second half),” said Johnson, who finished with 21 carries for 168 yards — the vast majority coming in the final two quarters. “We saw what was happening in the first half, and we knew if we just executed on a few more things, we could definitely move the ball down the field and make things happen.” The Falcons (5-0) — ranked No. 5 in the state in Class 5A — held the No. 9 Cadets (3-2) to just one first down the entire first half, that coming on St. Thomas Academy’s opening play from scrimmage. The first down came after the Cadets picked off a pass on Armstrong’s opening possession to take over at the Falcons’ 32-yard line. But the Armstrong defense held tough, stopping St. Thomas Academy on downs at the 15. It was an impressive performance for the group, led by first-year defensive coordinator Alex Leitch — an assistant at St. Thomas Academy last season. “At the beginning of the year, I was worried,” Falcons coach Jack Negen said. “We had a new defensive coordinator, and we have some younger guys there that didn’t have a lot of experience. But we’ve gotten better every week and I was so proud of the way they played physically tonight. “They were dialed in. They knew their assignments. It was just a great performance.” Neither defense allowed much yardage for the majority of the first half. But Armstrong finally struck first, driving 57 yards to score on a three-yard touchdown pass from senior Dawson Franke to junior Farelle Deline with 1:18 to play before halftime. The Falcons lined up to kick the extra point, but the Cadets broke through, forcing a successful pass for a two-point conversion that put Armstrong in front 8-0. “Their kids came out and played really well,” said St. Thomas Academy coach Travis Walch, whose team beat the Falcons 44-13 a year ago. “They were fired up. We’re a team that kind of jumped them last year, and I’m sure they probably spent a lot of time and energy thinking about what happened in that game.” The Falcons expanded their lead to 14-0 when Johnson scored on a 21-yard touchdown run with 5:49 to play in the third quarter. But that’s when the Cadets’ offense finally came to life, driving 76 yards to score on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by senior Chase Young that cut the gap to 14-7 with 10:26 remaining. Armstrong needed just two plays to answer, though, expanding its lead to 20-7 on a 73-yard run by Johnson. “We felt really good about the way we contained (Johnson) tonight,” Walch said. “But great players will find a way in the biggest moments and he did that.” The Falcons defense then came up with an interception by senior Noah Gorgos on the Cadets’ next possession, but St. Thomas Academy didn’t roll over – cutting the Falcons’ lead to just six when senior Finn Benz returned an interception of his own for a touchdown with 5:55 to play. The Cadets then forced an Armstrong punt that gave them the ball back at their own 29 with 2:31 remaining but could not pick up a first down. Young’s pass on 4th-and-10 at the 29 fell incomplete, sealing the win for the Falcons. “This means a lot,” Johnson said. “Especially coming off a big loss to them last season. They’re a great team, and beating them gives us a lot of confidence.” Related Articles High School Sports | High School Football Roundup: Forest Lake upends Stillwater in overtime High School Sports | Long late drive keys Lakeville North 36-33 win over Eagan High School Sports | Wisconsin high school football: Prescott proves it’s for real with convincing win over St. Croix Central High School Sports | Powers, surprises and slow starters: Taking stock of many East Metro football teams midway through the regular season High School Sports | High school football: Week 5 predictions