VERO BEACH — St. Edward’s School’s football team started the second half of Thursday’s Sunshine State Athletic Conference game against Berean Christian exactly the way coach Bill Motta scripted it.

“At halftime we challenged them,” Motta said. “We said, ‘Hey, this is what we need to do. We have to kick the ball to them, get a 3-and out – we have to get a 3-and-out, get the ball back and we have to score.’ It was a challenge – a pretty unreasonable challenge – but they stepped up and did it.”

The Pirates (2-3, 2-0 Coastal Atlantic division) scored three touchdowns in less than five minutes in the third quarter and went on to beat Berean (1-4, 0-3) 35-26.

If Jupiter Christian beats Boca Raton Christian on Friday, St. Edward’s will clinch a SSAC playoff spot.

“We’re in control of our own destiny,” Pirates running back Brian Minella said. “We’ll go as far as we can take it.”

Minella led the way for St. Edward’s with 12 carries for 191 yards and 4 touchdowns. It’s the second 4-touchdown performance for Minella in the past three weeks.

Minella scored on runs of 18, 57, 5 and 7 yards.

His 57-yard run, which came on the second play after the St. Edward's defense forced a 3-and-out to start the second half, tied the score at 14. Minella appeared to be wrapped up after a 6-yard gain, but wriggled loose and ran untouched the rest of the way to the end zone.

“He made something happen,” Motta said. “That was kind of a lucky deal, but we’ll take it.”

After dominating play in the first half, Berean Christian’s offense was silent for much of the third quarter as the Pirates turned a 14-7 deficit into a 28-14 lead.

Bulldogs quarterback Brenden Shipley, who threw for 302 yards and 2 touchdowns, connected with Devin Downey for a 25-yard touchdown pass late in the 3rd quarter. Berean’s Jared Hammond led all receivers with 9 catches for 160 yards and Downey had 4 catches for 48 yards and 2 touchdowns.

St. Edward’s held the ball for the next 8 minutes, 54 seconds – a drive capped by Minella’s final touchdown run with 3:47 left in the game.

Berean Christian had a chance to make it a one-score game after Downey’s second touchdown grab with 1:47 remaining, but their extra point kick hit the upright and was no good.