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Marist foils Homecoming by blanking Spartans
Records certainly can be deceiving.
Marist proved that on Friday night on its visit to Chicago Heights.
The RedHawks marched into Spartan Stadium with a 1-5 record and silenced a Homecoming crowd by throwing a dagger into the Spartans´ playoff hopes with a 19-0 East Suburban Catholic Conference whitewash.
Marian thought it had the deceiving record at 3-3 after playing defending state champions Carmel and Joliet Catholic very tough in the first two-thirds of the schedule.
Instead, it was the Spartans´ 12-2 series stranglehold over Marist that proved to be deceiving.
The RedHawks dropped Marian to a 3-4 mark and put the Spartans´ backs to the wall heading in to a Friday visit to Benet Academy and a week nine meeting with St. Patrick in Chicago Heights.
Marist looked nothing like a 1-5 team on Friday. Despite having no playoff hope and facing a fired-up Homecoming crowd, the RedHawks set the tone from the opening kickoff.
Buoyed by a 27-yard pass play on the game´s first play, the visitors also used a 37-yard rushing burst to march 80 yards on the game´s opening drive for a 6-0 command.
Although the method proved to be long and painful, things only got worse from there for a stunned Homecoming throng.
Marist senior Donnie Skelly shredded the Marian defense for 239 yards on 30 carries.
Meanwhile, Marian managed just seven first downs for the night, as the Spartans moved the chains on seven separate possessions.
The bright spots for the Spartans on Friday?
Despite being outgained 215-43 in the opening half, Marian trailed just 9-0 at the intermission as RedHawk Andy Kungis added a 41-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Just one break away from making it a contest, Marian saw Marist deliver a fatal blow on its initial possession of the second half. Set up 59 yards from the goal line, the RedHawks capped a five-play drive with a 31-yard scoring jaunt from Skelly. This time, Kungis connected on the conversion for a 16-0 command.
The RedHawks closed the scoring with 3:11 to play, as Kungis split the uprights with a 36-yard field goal.
More bright spots?
It appeared Marian had the turnaround play when Michael Buxbaum picked off an aerial and returned it 35 yards to the Marist 25-yard line.
Marian quickly moved inside the 10 as quarterback Zach Denny hit Malcolm Parker for 6 yards, then Sean Whitfield for 12 yards and a first-and-goal at the Marist 7. However, one of four sacks of Marian quarterbacks followed, then an interception in the end zone dissolved the scoring threat.
It proved to be the Spartans´ lone bona fide scoring opportunity of the night.
Marian managed just 13 rushing yards on 22 attempts. A passing game that kept the Spartans´ in all three of their previous losses was also ineffective. Denny finished with 81 passing yards, but the Spartan quarterbacks connected on just nine of 26 attempts.
Despite the big night for Skelly, the Marian defense valiantly kept the Spartans within striking distance for most of the night. Skelly´s huge numbers proved to be all the RedHawks needed- and they didn´t get much more.
Marist only had 28 more rushing yards on 15 carries. The passing game was held in check (95 yards), as Joey Siegert added an interception and Noe Arroyo, Jack McCormick, Jake Zsuppon, Josh Howe and Ron Freeman combined on the Spartans´ three sacks.
Marian players can look forward to the Homecoming dance after sustaining their first shutout in 22 games. However, the Spartans will need to dance a tight rope the last two weeks if they want to qualify for a third straight playoff appearance.
Both Benet and St. Patrick have playoff aspirations alive and both can already claim victories over Marist.
Freshmen: An inspired, energetic effort fizzled for Marian in a 14-12 loss to Marist on Saturday. Mark Scott scored both Marian touchdowns, one coming on a kickoff return. However, the two-point conversion attempt failed to tie the score. |
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SCORING
Mst- Donnie Skelly 1-yard run (kick blocked), 9:04 first.
Mst- Andy Kungis 41-yard field goal, 0:48 second.
Mst- Skelly 31-yard run (Kungis kick), 7:26 third.
Mst- Kungis 36-yard field goal, 3:11 fourth.
INDIVIDUALS
Passing: Mst- Scott Slubowski 7 of 15, 95 yards, 2 INT. MC- Zach Denny 8 of 21, 81 yards, 2 INT; Zack Stevenson 1 of 5, 10 yards.
Rushing: Mst- Skelly 30-239 (2 TD), Mike Larocco 5-43, Slubowski 10-(minus 15). MC- Sean Whitfield 8-9, Cliffton Gordon 4-8, Denny 8-1, Stevenson 2-(minus 5).
Receiving: Mst- Tom Sullivan 4-45, Jeremy Nash 1-22, Skelly 1-14, Larocco 1-14. MC Malcolm Parker 4-42, Matt Swanson 2-26, Whitfield 1-12, Michael Brooks 1-7, Gordon 1-4.
Interceptions: Skelly, John O´Connell (Mst); Joey Siegert, Michael Buxbaum (MC). |
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