Staff photo / Neel Madhavan Warren JFK’s Nick Branca, center, carries the ball while Norwalk St. Paul defenders Rafael Gross (57), Wyatt Houser (9) and Nick Pocos (28) pursue on Friday night at Girard’s Arrowhead Stadium during a Division VII playoff game.

GIRARD — Nothing was going to stop LaMarcus Provitt and Steven Thomas on Friday night.

With Warren JFK’s offensive line leading the way, the Eagles’ dynamic backfield duo combined to rush for 380 yards and six touchdowns in Kennedy’s 42-27 victory over Norwalk St. Paul in the first round of the Division VII, Region 25, playoffs at Girard’s Arrowhead Stadium.

“It starts with those guys up front,” JFK head coach Damon Buente said. “We call these timeouts in the second half, and our offensive line is begging from the highest mountaintop to keep running the same play over and over again. So while I’m grateful to have Provitt and ST (Thomas) in our backfield — two studs — it starts up front with those guys.”

Thomas finished with 18 carries for 206 yards and four touchdowns, while Provitt rushed 23 times for 174 yards and two touchdowns.

“Those two young men, they’re game breakers and they’re game wreckers,” Buente said. “They break the game wide open and they wreck your game plan. So we’re proud of them.”

Week-by-week since Sept. 26, JFK has been on a mission, and for the Eagles, Friday’s win was the team’s sixth straight since beginning the season 0-5.

“Beginning of the season was very bitter. We had a lot of resentment, because obviously we want to win,” Thomas said. “Winning is probably one of the most enjoyable things in life, and each loss just drove us more and more to strive for perfection in each practice. Coach says, ‘building by building, block by block, you just gotta keep stepping up every time.'”

JFK couldn’t have asked for a better start.

With a quick three-and-out by the Eagles’ defense on St. Paul’s opening possession, JFK immediately moved the ball down the field and scored on a 13-yard touchdown run by Provitt.

After another three-and-out, JFK compounded its early advantage and took a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run from Thomas.

The Flyers responded with a 3-yard touchdown run by Casey Fries. But JFK wasted no time, as Thomas sprinted through the heart of the St. Paul defense for a 57-yard touchdown run about a minute later.

“They’re just complete game changers,” Thomas said of the big plays. “They just set all the momentum of the game. I can’t imagine how it feels for the other team to have that happen. … It’s like a moment that you just got taken out of time, and when you get the opportunity, you just gotta fully exploit it.”

Things started to get dicey for the Eagles at the end of the half after a pair of turnovers gave the Flyers new life.

St. Paul converted one of them into a 28-yard touchdown pass from Grant Kuhnle to Landon Fries, and after trailing 20-14 at halftime, looked to either tie or take the lead after recovering an onside kick to start the third quarter.

But JFK’s defense made a pair of huge stops, forcing two back-to-back turnovers on downs inside the red zone to keep the Flyers off the scoreboard.

“It’s playoff football,” Buente said. “They get an onside kick and they have all the momentum. But the will of our defense in those moments, you can’t say enough about it. Provitt and Thomas, those guys are guiding a very young defense that, quite frankly, is starting eight freshmen and sophomores.”

Provitt scored on a 1-yard touchdown after the first stop, as Thomas capitalized on the second with a 42-yard touchdown run.

St. Paul added another touchdown pass from Kuhnle to Fries, but an eight-minute touchdown drive by JFK in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach for good. Kuhnle finished 16-for-30 for 202 yards, three touchdown passes and an interception, while Nick Pocos ran for 129 yards to lead the Flyers.

JFK’s win sets up a road trip next week to No. 1 seed McDonald (10-0), which had a bye this week as one of the region’s top-four seeds.

“They’re 10-0 for a reason. They’re the No. 1 seed for a reason. So we’re not going to underestimate those guys,” Buente said. “They can score the ball at any time. Tonight’s over with, and by the time we get into our parking lot, our coaching staff needs to be moved on. So we’re excited for the challenge.”