Senior Herman Israelsson rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns, and senior Cameron Tally returned a kickoff 83 yards for a score to lead the Saint Stephen’s Falcons past the Marco Island Rays 45-6 in their 2012 Kickoff Classic game.

The Falcons, coming off an 0-8 campaign in 2011, came into Friday night’s game with a chance to put the past behind them and send a message that they belonged at the varsity level.

Consider that message received.

Friday’s game was a promising start to the season for Falcons players and fans as the team showed the kind of talent and determination that they will need to compete this year.

After stopping the Rays for a three and out on their opening drive, the Falcons quickly marched down the field thanks to an impressive ground game that could prove to be a staple of the Saint Stephen’s offense in 2012.

The Falcons ran a box package on offense, using Israelsson as a fullback, and junior Tiag Bhamber and sophomore Luc Goeders as wingbacks. The three-headed monster of Israelsson, Bhamber and Goeders would pace the Falcons offensive attack throughout the game.

Israelsson’s 6-yard touchdown run put the Falcons up 7-0, but Saint Stephen’s wasn’t done. On their next drive, Bhamber gave the Falcons a 14-0 lead with a 27 yard touchdown scamper of his own.

Just when it looked like Saint Stephen’s was going to run away with it, some carelessness on the part of the Falcons allowed Marco Island to get back into the game. The Falcons turned the ball over on three consecutive drives, but it was the third mistake that would cost them dearly.

Sophomore Preston Reece stripped the ball at the Falcons 45 and took it in for the Rays first points in school history. A failed PAT made it 14-6 Falcons.

And that’s when Saint Stephen’s took over.

On the ensuing kickoff, with a suddenly tense Palma Sola Park crowd clamoring for the Falcons to respond, Tally, who ran track for Saint Stephen’s at the regional tournament last spring, caught the ball at the Falcons 17, made a few Rays miss, and went 83 yards down the sidelines for a Falcons touchdown.

Saint Stephen’s looked to add to their lead before halftime, and after both teams exchanged punts, the Falcons put one final drive together before halftime. Luc Goeders punched in his first touchdown of the year and the Falcons third rushing touchdown of the half, to give Saint Stephen’s a 28-6 lead going into halftime.

Israelsson, who averaged an insane 11.3 yards a carry, scored his second rushing touchdown of the game in the third quarter and put the game out of reach for Marco Island as the Falcons coasted in the second half.

“We worked extremely hard, and we were just mentally prepared,” Israelsson said of the victory.

“Coming out of last season, we didn’t win one game, and that’s really rough on us. Because of the emotions we had last year, we just didn’t want to feel like that again.”

Next week the Falcons will face St. John Neumann in a rematch of last season’s Class 2A district opener, a game that the Celtics won 35-14.

“They are definitely a bigger competition,” Israelsson said. “I’m not going to lie about that. But that means nothing. That doesn’t mean we can’t beat them.”

“We fight as brothers, and like Coach says, we have to love one another more than we love ourselves.”

The victory gives the Falcons a two-game winning streak dating back to May’s 47-13 spring game victory over Imagine School of North Port.

Bhamber said he was also excited about the win, especially after the pain and hardship of last season.

“It’s really hard to go back out there and work during the spring, during the summer and during the fall, not knowing what you’re going into. We all worked super hard, and it paid off,” he said.

Looking forward to next week, Bhamber said he knows the Falcons can’t dwell on Friday’s victory too long.

“We’ve got to stay focused and got to stay disciplined,” Bhamber said. “We can’t let this win go to our heads.”

After the disappointment of last season, though, Israelsson said he felt great about being on the other side of the scoreboard.

“It’s like a heavy backpack has been lifted off my back,” he said.