Another Thriller For JCA

After senior safety Dominick Allen recovered a pooch kick by Isaac Grashoff, junior wingback Ty Isaac plowed into the end zone on an 8-yard run for the Joliet Catholic Academy football team.

Momentum seized.

From falling behind 17-0 at halftime to scoring two touchdowns in a span of 1 minute and 9 seconds in the fourth quarter, the Hilltoppers were within shouting distance of another miraculous comeback.

“We needed a big play and I tried my hardest to get it,” said Allen, a Minooka native who recalled JCA’s last-second, 32-31 win over Carmel in the season opener. “I hit the guy as hard I could, I found the ball and I got it. We were trying to give our offense a chance to score and get back into the game.”

Although JCA did get back into its homecoming game Friday night on ATI Field at Joliet Memorial Stadium, the Hilltoppers were unable to climb the mountain as Nazareth held on for a 24-21 victory.

The loss throws the East Suburban Catholic Conference race for a loop, with JCA (5-1, 4-1) falling back to a pack that now includes Nazareth (5-1, 5-1) for the top spot. But it almost was a different outcome.

Following a fourth-down stop by senior linebacker Mike Passo, the Hillmen uncorked a 12-play, 74-yard drive that saw Northwestern recruit Malin Jones, a senior wingback, score off tackle on a 5-yard burst.

That brought JCA within 17-7 at 2:39 left in the third quarter, but the Roadrunners rattled off a 12-play, 80-yard drive, ending with a 1-yard TD plunge by junior halfback Joshua Moore (37 carries, 173 yards).

“They ran the football on us and it’s something that’s a concern,” JCA coach Dan Sharp said. “We have to get better with our run defense, we have to sustain our blocks better, but Nazareth just played better than us on both sides of the football.”

The other side of the coin, however, flipped JCA’s way when junior quarterback Craig Slowik hooked up with fellow Shorewood native Ty Isaac on a 44-yard TD pass. Isaac caught the jump ball, peeled away from two defenders and beat another defensive back into the corner of the end zone.

Again, several highlight-reel sequences per game have been the norm for Isaac, who finished with 105 yards on 17 carries.

“Craig just threw a great ball, we actually got some protection on that play, and it’s moments like that where we expect our players to be able to get something after the catch,” Isaac said. “That’s what I was trying to do and I ended up getting into the end zone.”

On the subsequent kickoff, Allen pounced on Grashoff’s pooch kick and recovered at the 10. After Jones (18 carries, 74 yards) gained six and lost four, Isaac slipped into the end zone on third down at 7:51 left.

“It was a beautiful kick by Grashoff,” Sharp said. “We recovered the first onside kick but had a penalty, then to get the pooch and score, and we actually held them and got the ball back – but we were three and out. You can’t do that, and we had plenty of time.”

Indeed, after a 6-yard burst by Isaac on first down, JCA lost 11 yards on its next nine offensive plays, including five incomplete passes. But the turning point might have been a 45-yard TD pass that Nazareth converted with 20.1 seconds remaining until halftime.

Momentum allowed.

“I think the play of the game was giving up the long pass play before halftime,” Sharp confirmed. “You give up that score, instead of facing 10-0 you’re looking at 17-0 at half, and they got the ball back to start the third quarter.

“Give Nazareth credit. They came out and played a better game tonight. They were the better team, but down the road, I like our chances.”