When the rallying cry for unbeaten Boys’ Latin — “Feel the Steele” — finally became more than a slogan in the fourth quarter of its annual showdown with archrival St. Paul’s on Friday afternoon, the Lakers (10-0) turned a close contest into a runaway.

The phrase refers to BL’s superb running back, Patrick Steele, who exploded for 114 yards on 11 carries and three of his game-high five touchdowns in the final period to pull the Lakers from a 21-14 deficit to a 40-27 triumph.

The game plan was to give St. Paul’s a heavy dose of Steele throughout the game at Martin D. Tullai Field in Brooklandville, although 5-foot-11, 202-pound star was at his best in the late going.

That may have been, in part, because the Crusaders (3-6) put up such a staunch fight by limiting Steele to modest numbers in the first three quarters before wearing down against bigger bodies.

“We fooled them as long as we could,” St. Paul’s coach Paul Bernstorf said. “We put nine guys in the box and dared them to beat us by throwing the ball. But they’re a little stronger and bigger than we are. Our kids played hard.”

Steele’s 18-yard jaunt put BL ahead with 3:24 left in the first quarter before St. Paul’s senior quarterback Zack Linkous drilled a 6-yard strike to junior wideout Jay Carlson to tie it, 7-7, early in the second period.

The Crusaders took a 14-7 advantage 39 second before the intermission when the Linkous-Carlson connection produced a 28-yard score.

The visitors drew even when Steele bulled 11 yards for another score in the third quarter.

Then Linkous threw a 55-yard strike to uncovered senior wing back Marcus Howard with 2:31 left in the period that momentarily stunned the Lakers.

On its next series, senior quarterback Kevin O’Neil’s key scramble on 4th-and-11 kept a drive alive, allowing Steele to plow into the end zone from the St. Paul’s 6-yard line for the tying score.

It took the Lakers just four runs by Steele to cash in on its next possession, taking a 27-21 advantage and the lead for good. Then Ben Keller’s interception set up yet another Steele score for a 33-21 lead with 5:41 to go.

“We had some coverage issues and we fumbled a few times,” Boys’ Latin coach Ritchie Schell said. “But we came back as we expected, executed and exerted our will. We just needed to play better.”

The Lakers hope that they continue to improve when they meet Archbishop Spalding at 1 p.m., Nov. 14, at Mount St. Joseph in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference championship game.

A victory in that game would give BL its first unbeaten season since 1977 and first title since 2002.

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