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JCA Stops Notre Dame Pass With Passo

Joliet Catholic Academy's football team pitches a shutout on the road at Notre Dame as senior linebacker Mike Passo leads with an interception, a forced fumble and a sack.

Think about a Hyundai Sonata or a Ford Fusion, but with a slight twist. Because as a linebacker, Joliet Catholic Academy’s Mike Passo plays like that next-generation type of mid-size vehicle.

“He’s living in the right time,” Hilltoppers coach Dan Sharp said of Passo, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior. “He can play linebacker, can play in secondary, and he’s a ‘hybrid’ — a hybrid made for the spread.”

In that regard, Passo was tailor-made for Friday night. He helped the JCA defense pitch its first shutout of the season, picking up an interception, a sack and a forced fumble in a 42-0 victory over Notre Dame.

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Switching from linebacker to defensive tackle, senior Nick Collofello contributed three of the Hilltoppers’ five first-half sacks as JCA (2-0, 2-0) turned on the running clock against the host Dons (0-2, 0-2).

Senior safety Dominik Allen added an interception and two tackles for loss, while senior cornerback Brody Wilhelmi had an interception and a tackle for loss in the East Suburban Catholic Conference rout.

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After a nip-and-tuck first quarter that featured JCA grabbing a 7-0 lead, the Hilltoppers started to disrupt Notre Dame senior quarterback Nick Pieruccini. That led to a 4-1 turnover edge and, in turn, 21 points.

Good stuff. Literally.

“Our defensive line helped a lot, we had a great blitz put on them and we stepped up our pass rush,” Passo said. “It was a hot, hot night, but we wanted to keep going, keep pushing and stay strong.”

“I thought Coach Mac (defensive coordinator Cory McLaughlin) and his staff did a great job of laddering their pressure,” Sharp said. “They started rushing four, then five, then six, and it paid off. We came from all angles. They’re a good team when they’re in a rhythm and we got them out of their rhythm.”

Offensively, JCA found its rhythm right away as Northwestern-bound senior wingback Malin Jones (9 carries, 72 yards) scored on a 46-yard touchdown run highlighted by a cutback and a stiff arm.

That 12-play, 99-yard drive gave the Hillmen all the points they needed, but not before Pieruccini completed 12 of his first 13 passes. The lone miscue was an interception by a diving Wilhelmi.

One play later, junior wingback Ty Isaac sprung out of the middle of a pile, found the seam and sprinted 81 yards untouched for a 14-0 lead. With 41.7 seconds left until halftime, junior quarterback Craig Slowik (3-of-6, 88 yards) hooked up with Jones on a 51-yard TD that looked like last week’s winner.

“There was a little bit of hype coming into this game and a little bit of talking,” said Isaac, who finished with 172 yards and three TDs on 10 carries. “But we picked it up and got our second wind out there.”

The wind of change by JCA’s defense stopped Pieruccini. He completed 18-of-28 for 168 yards, but went only 4-of-11 for 10 yards in the second half. And the Dons were held to 14 yards rushing on 21 carries.

In the third quarter, JCA scored 21 points for the blowout. Passo’s pick set up Isaac’s 2-yard plunge and Allen’s interception preceded Jones’ 4-yard burst into the end zone. Jones also scored on a 46-yard run.

Next Friday night, JCA plays host to Peoria Richwoods (0-2) in a rematch of last year’s Class 5A quarterfinals. And if the Passo-led Hillmen defense has its way, the script will remain the same.

Defense leads to offense.

“It feels great,” said Passo, a University of St. Francis recruit. “Everybody wants to make those plays, and with our offense, once we get it to them, we know that they just want to score as fast as they can.”

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