| JCA rushes for 448 yards, overcomes fright of yellow hankies |
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By Tim Clodjeaux Staff writer
Joliet Catholic Academy coach Dan Sharp liked just about everything he saw at Memorial Stadium Friday night, except for "those darn little yellow hankies all over the field."
The Hilltoppers (6-1, 5-0) rushed for 448 yards and overcame 15 penalties for 133 yards in winning their sixth straight, a 42-13 East Suburban Catholic Conference victory over Niles Notre Dame (5-2, 3-2).
"We haven't had that many holding calls on us in the last four years combined," a smiling and relieved Sharp said after the game. "Anytime we got something going there was yellow laundry on the field. I'll have to look at the tape and see what happened. I'm not going to complain right now, I just want to find a way to clean up our game a little bit."
The penalties were disconcerting to Sharp but they didn't stop the Hilltoppers on this night.
Senior fullback Brandon Geiss was the main cog in the JCA machine once again, carrying the ball 23 times for 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Geiss was the spark in the game's opening drive, carrying four times for 68 yards and getting the evening's first points on a 23-yard run.
"I really think that Geiss is a Division I back, even if he is just 5-7 or 5-8," said Sharp. "He runs hard and smart and has some quickness. He had another great game tonight."
JCA struggled to pull away from the Dons in the first half, despite Geiss' 168 yards gained by halftime. Notre Dame chopped a 14-0 lead in half on a 96-yard pass play from Mark Gustafson to Tim Swieton midway through the second quarter.
The Hilltoppers pushed the margin back to 13 on a 13-play, 87-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown run by Tyler Hudetz with just 1:51 left until the half. But Notre Dame was not finished. The Dons drove down to the JCA 33 and the drive stayed alive on a fourth-down roughing the passer call that pushed the ball to the Hilltoppers' 18. But JCA's Nick Ratajczak's interception in the end zone kept the lead at 13 points at halftime.
"It seemed like every time we made a big play on defense, a flag would fly," said Sharp. "But Nick made that interception and that was a huge play."
Notre Dame made things interesting in the third quarter when the Dons interecepted a John Ruettiger pass and scored one play later on an 18-yard pass from Gustafson to Ryan Irwin midway through the quarter. The extra point was blocked but the Hilltoppers' lead was reduced to a single touchdown.
JCA then drove to the Notre Dame 16 before turning the ball over on downs, but its defense then took control of the game.
The Hilltoppers forced Notre Dame to punt after a three-and-out series but the snap sailed over the punter's head and was recovered in the end zone by Nick Clancy for the momentum-changing score.
"That was a huge play," said Sharp. "We got the two-pont conversion and made it an eight-point swing. Then we got the ball right back again and drove for another score."
Geiss was the headliner but again he got plenty of offensive support. Connor Krisch topped the 100-yard mark with 11 carries for 103 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown for JCA's final score. Hudetz gained 68 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown, and Ruettiger rushed six times for 50 yards and a score.
Ruettiger only threw the ball nine times but he completed five for 78 yards with the one interception. Sean Sheppard was his main target, grabbing four for 65 yards.
"Sheppard is a big time, big-play tight end," said Sharp. "I have to give (wide receiver) Tim Bennett a lot of credit for Sean's success. Tim stretches the defense and that opens up the middle for Sean."
Sharp employed the running game almost exclusively, mostly with Notre Dame's offense in mind.
"I wanted to keep that spread offense they run so well over on the sidelines," said Sharp as he motioned toward the opposite side of the field. "Our defense played great tonight but our running game was just as important in keeping their offense off the field."
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