One More Game For JCA

With his last carry of the first half on a windy Saturday afternoon, Joliet Catholic Academy junior Ty Isaac reached the 2,000-yard rushing mark for the 2011 season. And he truly couldn't care less.

Because after a Class 5A state football semifinal that saw the Hilltoppers’ defense dominate and fellow All-State wingback Malin Jones manhandle the opposing defense, Isaac summed up the team theme.

One more.

“As long as we have another game to play,” said Isaac, a resident, “then it’s all good.”

Good? Perhaps the only thing lacking at Memorial Stadium in JCA’s resounding 49-7 running-clock victory over top-seeded Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin was Tony the Tiger screaming, “Grrreeat!”

As explosive as ever, Isaac rushed for 214 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries to pace JCA (11-2). Jones, the superb Northwestern-bound senior, added 210 yards and two TDs on 18 carries as well.

Meanwhile, Sacred Heart-Griffin (12-1) struggled with the wind as the Hillmen held All-State quarterback Pat Smith to 10-of-29 accuracy for 99 yards. The Cyclones produced a mere 102 yards on 31 plays in the first half and finished with 48 for 168. JCA ended up with 574 yards on 57 plays.

Junior quarterback Craig Slowik completed just two passes for 84 yards, but each was a dagger for the Hillmen. His 53-yard TD connection with senior tight end Isaac Grashoff gave JCA a 14-0 lead at 3:16 left in the first quarter and his 31-yarder to sophomore tight end Zach Rezin showed the potential.

“They stacked the line on our first drive,” JCA coach Dan Sharp said. “We punted, we came off the field, made a couple of adjustments, and we were able to pop a couple of nice runs. And then the play-action pass where Slowik stepped up in the pocket and hit Grashoff, Mr. Everything, was a very big play.

“Plus, I thought we played pretty well going into the wind, and that’s where our running game comes into play. Even though they were putting 10-11 guys in the box, we were able to run the football, and all we have to do is break one tackle when everybody is up tight in there. And that’s what happened.”

Exactly, especially after Isaac capped a grinding 6-play, 37-yard scoring drive with an 8-yard run on a double handoff for a 7-0 lead 5:31 into the first quarter. Grashoff’s over-the-shoulder grab opened the floodgates.

Back-to-back, Isaac and Jones scored on runs of 22 and 24 yards for a 28-0 lead with 5:50 left until halftime, with both running backs using stiff arms to punish the Cyclones into submission en route to the end zone.

“I think our second drive, the first touchdown, was the big drive,” Isaac said. “It wasn’t about a big play. It was just moving the ball down the field, the O-line did a great job, and doing that to any team is deflating.”

That balloon completely popped in the second half, with Isaac improving a 28-7 halftime lead on TD runs of 49 and 53 yards. Jones’ 34-yard TD run and Grashoff’s seventh PAT kick at 8:07 left in the third put the Cyclones under the mercy rule for the first time since the running clock was implemented in 1997.

For Sacred Heart-Griffin, rushing for only 69 yards on 19 attempts did not help. A wind of the gods also hampered the Cyclones’ shotgun spread-based passing game. Jones, playing outside linebacker, also set the tone early for JCA’s impressive physical effort by blitzing Smith and delivering a bone-crushing hit.

“From watching films, we knew what they could do and we didn’t think there was anything they would throw at us that we couldn’t handle,” Jones said. “Our coaches put in a great game play and, obviously, it worked. We matched up real well with their receivers and we contained their quarterback.

“They have a very potent offense, one of the best in the state, but we performed great. I’m very proud of the guys on offense and defense, and now we have to look forward to who we’ll meet at state.”

Two-time defending state champion Montini (11-2) will be next in a rematch of the 2009 5A state championship game won by the Broncos 29-28. It will be JCA’s eighth appearance in the state finals under Sharp, who has won six state titles in his 15 years. The Hillmen have a state-record 13 titles.

Those numbers are great. As good was the JCA defensive production coming from senior defensive tackle Nick Collofello, senior safety Adam Collins, senior defensive end Josh Falk (2 sacks), senior safety Dominick Allen (7 tackles) and junior linebacker Matt Madrigal (4 tackles, fumble recovery).

“We wanted to get as much pressure on the quarterback as possible and be good in coverage,” said Collins, who notched 6 tackles and forced a fumble off a sack as a result of a highlight-reel blind-side hit. “We wanted to make sure we were on them at the line of scrimmage and they didn’t get behind us.”

“It was great play by Adam,” said Collofello, who recovered that fumble along with having 5 tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack. “We knew their quarterback liked to scramble, so we did what we had to do. We got pressure on the quarterback, we had great coverage, and everything was there for us today.”

Including the wind, which began at JCA’s back. Jones, the Hilltoppers’ captain, made the right call again.

“Defer, defer, defer,” Sharp said, smiling. “We decided to defend the South goal, and it’s one of those things where you’re still not sure because they ran the ball so well last week and they have shown the ability to run the ball out of their spread set. But our defense played so well and we went from there.”

And from there to state.