| The sound & the flurry |
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By DICK GOSS Sports Editor Herald News
The last thing Lemont High School could afford in its first-ever state championship football game was a flurry of turnovers.
But that is precisely the fate the Indians were handed Saturday afternoon as Joliet Catholic Academy's ball-hawking defense ignited the Hilltoppers' 49-7 victory in the Class 6A state championship game at the University of Illinois.
Debate will rage whether this edition of the Hilltoppers ranks with the best of the school's record 13 state championship teams. But anyone who witnessed Saturday's event, and the season-long trail leading to Saturday, would agree Lemont had to be near-perfect to have any kind of shot against an opponent of JCA's caliber.
Instead, the Indians (11-3) lost three fumbles -- on three straight offensive plays -- in a first quarter that ended with the Hilltoppers (13-1) on top 21-0.
"We came out and made some mistakes that put us in the hole, and from that point on, it was all uphill," Lemont coach Eric Michaelsen said. "It's hard to say whether our being here for the first time might have had an effect on the mistakes, but we're not looking for excuses. They caused the mistakes."
"That was the key, to get on them quick," said JCA coach Dan Sharp, who earned his sixth state title, surpassing Gordie Gillespie for the most in school history. "We got 'em on their heels."
All season, JCA's record-setting offense has lived in the spotlight. Rightfully so. And yes, it was at its usual destructive self Saturday.
But this time, the defensive unit stepped front and center as well, playing perhaps its best game.
Beginning with the turnovers.
The Hilltoppers stopped Lemont's first offensive series and forced a punt, after which JCA marched 56 yards in eight plays to draw first blood. Quarterback John Ruettiger sneaked in from inches away and Gabe Suhadolc kicked the first of his seven extra points for a 7-0 lead with 6:34 left in the first quarter.
Linebacker Nick Clancy's tackle pinned Lemont at its 11 on the subsequent kickoff return, and after defensive end Kyle Kleeman and tackle Alex Foreman dropped quarterback Brett Nagel for a 4-yard loss to the 7, fullback Andrew Tomala hit the middle but lost the handle. Kleeman recovered the fumble at the 7. Two plays later, wingback Connor Krisch, who rushed for a game-high 168 yards, powered into the end zone -- his first of four visits there -- to make it 14-0.
The Indians made a bid to get back in it when they began the next series at their 30. Nagel hit wide receiver Peter Corsi over the middle, he made a nifty move to break free and headed for paydirt.
Clancy, 220 pounds of blur, flew in from behind and managed to strip the ball from Corsi around the JCA 19. It rolled to the 8, where outside linebacker Josh Mander recovered.
"That was a big play by Clancy, huge," Sharp said. "A total momentum change. It was a hustle play by Nick. We see it all the time."
JCA got the ball out of the hole before punting, and on Lemont's next play, Clancy was back at it, forcing a Nagel fumble that cornerback Nick Ratajczak recovered at the Indians' 41. Ruettiger's 24-yard bootleg was the key to the scoring drive capped by fullback Brandon Geiss' 8-yard run. With 0:04 left in the opening quarter, JCA was basking in a 21-0 lead.
"When I approached the one (fumble) from behind, I thought I had a chance to knock it out," Clancy said. "The other one, we're taught to tackle with our head across the body so the helmet could hit the ball, and that time it did."
Geiss would follow Krisch's lead, rushing for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler Hudetz, the season rushing leading in a backfield where all three rushed for well over 1,000 yards, added 57 in five carries before exiting with a concussion early in the second quarter. Merely another day at the office as the Hilltoppers, operating their power game from the wing-T formation, rung up a 6A title-game record 415 rushing yards among their 462 total.
All of that on a day when Lemont senior inside linebacker Gordon Kickels posted game highs of 10 solo tackles and 13 total.
"With special teams, and defense and offense, this is as well as we have played all year -- and against a very, very good football team," Sharp said.
"They're a team that capitalizes on mistakes, and that's what they did," Michaelsen said. "I'd love to tell you they did something different to us that we weren't expecting. But I can't. Physically, up front offensively and defensively, they just beat us."
After Lemont picked up its initial first down early in the second quarter, Clancy and Foreman made the key plays to force an Indians punt that carried to the JCA 13. The Hilltoppers went the distance in 13 plays, with Krisch scoring from 26 yards out, compliments of right guard Joe Minor's crushing downfield block, to make it 28-0 with 0:58 left in the half.
"Today it was evident how well our front seven played on both sides of the ball," Sharp said. "Our linebackers made plays because the guys up front on defense did a great job, and our running backs made big yards because of the guys up front on offense."
"We knew what they were going to do," Lemont senior linebacker Willie Hayes said. "We just got handled up front. They mix some fast guys with some strong guys in their line, and they're good."
Lemont's potent offense, led by Nagel and tailback Bobby Earnest, managed 108 total yards in the first half, and 51 came on the long pass play that ended in Clancy forcing the fumble from behind.
"Our focus was on stopping Nagel and Earnest the entire way," JCA senior inside linebacker Josh Greenback said of the Lemont duo that had rushed for a combined 3,114 yards coming in. "This is a great (Lemont) team, and we wanted to get three-and-outs against them. For the most part, we did."
The Indians made a little more happen offensively in the second half, finishing with 232 total yards. But when you compare that to Lemont's season average of 356.2, and factor in four turnovers, you understand how well the Hilltoppers' defense played.
Nagel finished 12-of-22 passing for 169 yards and rushed for a net of 53 in 18 carries. The dangerous Earnest finished with a net of 10 yards, although he had 30 before a bad snap on the final play resulted in a 20-yard loss.
Sophomore outside linebacker Jake Stockman intercepted Nagel at the JCA 44 and returned to the Lemont 47 early in the third quarter, stopping a budding drive.
JCA had lost standout senior center Nate Fonck to a knee injury minutes earlier, but still, the Hilltoppers' offense cooked. This time, it was through the air. Ruettiger unloaded his only completion, a 47-yard strike over the middle to Krisch, who caught it in stride at the 15 and took it in for a 35-0 lead with 7:53 left in the third quarter.
"Their center (Fonck) is short, but he's powerful, tough to drive back," said 305-pound Lemont offensive/defensive tackle Graham Pocic. "And their (offensive) line shortens their splits, widens their splits -- they play games with your mind."
Lemont responded to the TD pass with a 14-play drive from its 23 to the JCA 9. But Greenback stopped Nagel at the line of scrimmage, cornerback Mike Budzinski broke up a third-down pass and outside linebacker Josh Mander made a super deflection to temporarily save the shutout on fourth down.
Finally, the Indians caught their long-awaited break when junior linebacker Ryan Fejedelem recovered a Clancy fumble at the JCA 42 late in the third quarter. Lemont marched to the end zone in nine plays, Earnest scoring from the 5 with 8:40 remaining. Tom Kazimierczuk converted to make it 35-7.
Krisch got that score back in a hurry, taking off on a 69-yard run, complete with stiff-arm, to the Lemont 8, and scoring his third rushing touchdown and fourth in all on the following play for a 42-7 lead.
On JCA's next possession, Geiss used one of his patented spin moves in the center of the line and streaked to a 41-yard TD run to make it 49-7 with 4:32 remaining and ignite the running clock.
"This was what we worked for all year, after we lost to Morris lst year in the playoffs," Fonck said. "We were excited to be here and to show we could do it."
"This just goes to show you how good a team we are," Clancy said.
Any remaining doubters have long since left the building.
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