Saint Francis junior Nick Rinella went old-school football to help the Red Flash post a victory – putting on a Chuck Bednarik type display by doing a little bit of everything.

Rinella had a huge impact in all three phases for Saint Francis at home against Bryant by leading the Red Flash in rushing yards, tackles and kickoff return yards.

In Saint Francis’ 27-14 victory, Rinella had a team-high 60 rushing yards and a touchdown, led the Red Flash in tackles with 10, returned a pair of kickoffs 94 yards and sealed the victory with a fourth-quarter interception to earn the Uplifting Athletes Rare Performance of the Week.

A two-way star coming out of LaSalle College HS in suburban Philadelphia, Rinella had seen some spot carries as a running back the last two seasons while serving as a starter on defense. But this was the first game where he led the team in rushing.

Rinella’s season-high 10 tackles paced a defense that forced four turnovers, recorded four sacks and notched eight tackles for a loss while limiting Bryant to fewer than 300 total yards.

Right after Bryant had climbed to within 17-14 late in the second quarter, Rinella returned the ensuing kickoff 70 yards to set up a short touchdown run that gave the Red Flash a 24-14 cushion at intermission.

Nursing a two-score lead down the stretch, Rinella capped his stellar all-around performance by picking off a pass in the end zone with less than 5 minutes to play to stymie any comeback hopes Bryant entertained.

Previous Uplifting Athletes Rare Performance of the Week Winners

Week 1: Eric Dungey, Syracuse

Week 2: William Wicks, Davidson

Week 3: Davidson Wildcats Team

Week 4: Jesper Horsted, Princeton

Week 5: Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame

Week 6: John Lovett, Princeton

Week 7: Flynn Nagel, Northwestern

Week 8: Shaka Toney, Penn State

Week 9: Eric Dungey, Syracuse