| JCA offense bruises, buries Benet |
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September 22, 2007
By DICK GOSS sports editor
Hillmen amass 400 yards in first half alone
Tell you how well things are going for the Joliet Catholic Academy offense: senior tight end Sean Sheppard scored a touchdown Friday night.
What had been an ongoing joke on the Hilltoppers' sideline was laid to rest when Sheppard capped an incredible first half for JCA, snaring a 14-yard scoring strike from John Ruettiger just before the break to help the Hilltoppers celebrate homecoming with a 55-10 pounding of East Suburban Catholic Conference foe Benet Academy.
"Yeah, we've been joking with 'Shep' the last two or three games about how he never gets in the end zone," said wide receiver Tim Bennett, who caught a 31-yard scoring pass earlier in a 34-point second quarter that lifted JCA (3-0, 4-1) into a 48-7 halftime lead.
Running clock, and how.
The Hilltoppers' first-half numbers are of historical proportions. How about 20 first downs and 400 total yards -- 266 rushing led by Brandon Geiss' 115 in 10 carries, and 134 through the air as the red-hot Ruettiger hit 7-of-8.
Sheppard was the No. 1 target with 4 receptions for 85 yards. But until Ruettiger, who is 20-of-25 over the last three games, found him in the end zone 6 seconds before halftime, his pattern of being stopped just short of paydirt continued.
"It took us exactly to the halfway point in the season, 4 1/2 games, before he finally got one," JCA coach Dan Sharp said with a laugh.
JCA's regulars played very little in the second half. That was the opportunity for all the reserves to get some quality time, and they contributed. Dave Janicki rushed twice for 54 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown scamper. Jim Bolin gained 30 yards in 5 carries and lost an 18-yard TD run on a holding call.
Final tally: 378 rushing yards in 40 carries to go with the 134 through the air for 512 total.
In case you might have forgotten, wingback Connor Krisch is the Hilltoppers' primary punter. He rushed 8 times for 52 yards but once again was not called on to kick the ball. Tyler Hudetz gained 66 in 5 carries, Ruettiger 43 in 6 tries. Ruettiger rushed for 2 scores and threw for 2. Geiss, Hudetz and Krisch each hit paydirt once.
"Rudy is a great quarterback," said Bennett, who caught 2 passes for 41 yards. "He does all the little things right. It's great the way he gets me and everyone else the ball, the way he distributes it. He puts it right in there, too -- it's hard not to catch it."
Sharp noted an asset that elevates Ruettiger above most of the rest.
"The way Johnny orchestrates the 2-minute drill, we can hop into it at any time and not miss a beat," he said. "I think we have scored on it every half we've run it."
Of course, there is another huge element in the equation, and that's assistant coach Dave Douglas' group up front. Center Nate Fonck (the homecoming king), guards Zak Pedersen and Joe Minor and tackles John Kaminski and Pat Kielian, along with Sheppard, have been opening holes and giving Ruettiger time to throw. Kielian is a newcomer this year to the offensive side of the ball but has fit right in.
"We've been doing what Coach Douglas says, and that's finish our blocks," said Minor, a three-year starter and captain of the line. "Our offense is executing very well. We had a good offseason and Coach Douglas teaches us great technique."
Of course, with the precision and quickness of the skill players, instant gratification is likely.
"No we don't have to hold our blocks long," Minor said. "A few second is about it, and our backs are gone."
"A lot of the credit for our offense goes to Dave Douglas and Rick Raasch, who works with him," Sharp said. "Also, Jimmy Sharp and the work he did in the summer with the skill kids in the passing game, that's all part of it."
The JCA defense, meanwhile, was coming off a shutout last week at Marist, and it was plenty good on this occasion. Mike Budzinski, Nick Ratajczak and Nick Clancy intercepted passes in a first half where Jimmy Riley, who engineered a 25-23 upset of St. Viator a week ago, threw 30 times for the Redwings (1-2, 1-4).
Clancy, a linebacker, also forced a fumble on a rush that tackle Alex Foreman recovered. Linemen T.J. Barrett and Ryan Stockman spent the night in the Benet backfield, and linebacker Josh Greenback had a little of everything -- tackle for loss, pass breakup, pass knockdown.
"I thought our pass coverage was much better tonight than it's been all year," Greenback said. "It was great to get a shutout last week, too. Our defense is picking it up."
The thing is, JCA is seeing everything an opponent can throw at it from the get-go because it doesn't take long for the opposition to fall behind.
"Our offense scores so fast that we see trick plays all the time," Greenback said. "We're ready for everything."
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