Men´s
 Baseball
 Basketball
 Cross Country
 Football
 Golf
 Lacrosse
 Soccer
 Tennis
 Track
 Volleyball
 Wrestling

Women´s
 Basketball
 Cheerleading
 Cross Country
 Golf
 Lacrosse
 Soccer
 Softball
 Swimming
 Tennis
 Track
 Volleyball
 Water Polo

Intramurals
Boosters Club
Conferences
Directions
 

2005 Spartan Football games

Marian's Derrick Middleton pulls in a pass during the Spartans' 18-10 ESCC victory over visiting Notre Dame on Friday.

SCORING
MC- Zack Stevenson 49-yard run (pass failed), 9:35 second.
MC- John Mitrovich 31-yard pass from Stevenson (pass failed), 2:02 second.
ND- Jack Cascio 27-yard pass from Jeff Larsen (Connor Flahive kick), 0:16 second.
ND- Flahive 27-yard field goal, 2:26 third.
MC- Derrick Middleton 91-yard kickoff return, 2:10 third.

INDIVIDUALS
   Passing: ND- Larsen 11 of 19, 140 yards, 1 TD; Flahive 1 of 1, 20 yards; Tom Sheehan 0 of 1. MC- Stevenson 2 of 7, 60 yards, 1 TD.
   Rushing: ND- Matt Jackson 17-57, Tom Sheehan 13-48, Cascio 11-47 (TD), Larry Young 1-1, Larsen 4-(minus 35). MC- Cliffton Gordon 28-119, Stevenson 5-55 (TD), Middleton 1-3, Nnanna Alozie 1-(minus 2).
   Receiving: ND- Cascio 4-72, Sheehan 5-51, Peter Fudalej 1-20, Dan O'Leary 1-11, Mike Fedoruk 1-6. MC- Mitrovich 1-31 (TD), Middleton 1-29.
   Interceptions: none.

Marian's offense tried to get things rolling Friday, but the Spartans eventually dropped a 56-30 ESCC decision to visiting Carmel.

Strong Marian offensive effort foiled by Carmel

  Battling against a playoff qualifier on Friday night in Chicago Heights, the Marian offense proved every bit up to the test.
   Following up a 41-point effort, six days later the Spartans churned out more than 500 yards of offense when powerful Carmel visited.
   However, the visitors' offense proved up to the challenge as well, as Carmel jumped to a 35-0 command and outslugged Marian, 56-30, to halt the Spartans' winning streak at one.
   With the Corsairs (6-2) scoring on their first five possessions, Marian never had the opportunity to get back in the contest.
   However, the Spartans didn't come out of halftime like a team staring at a 1-7 record.
   Marian took the second-half kickoff and marched 80 yards in three plays, as Cliffton Gordon got loose on the outside and rambled for a 72-yard touchdown. Derrick Middleton's conversion run pulled the home team within 35-14 with plenty of time to play.
   Running behind the likes of Jon Jack, Jason Bruno, Marc Novak, Rudy Rinas, John Holzhauser and fullbacks Jack McCormick and Josh Howe, Gordon toted 32 times for 236.
   "We came out and gave it all we had tonight, but we just came up a little short," explained Gordon, who has scored seven touchdowns in the last two contests. "The offensive line kept motivating us and Marc Novak did a great job of encouraging everybody. In the second half, we finally got it going."

  However, Carmel kept it going by answering Marian's touchdown with two quick scores to pull away to a 49-14 margin.
   The Spartan offense didn't give in, however, as Marian found the end zone for the first two scores of the fourth quarter.
   A pair of Zack Stevenson to Middleton passes, along with a toss to John Mitrovich, helped orchestrate an 80-yard drive. Gordon finished things off on the first play of the final period when he followed Jack, Howe and tight end Dennis Kelly into the end zone to make the score 49-22 after a Gordon conversion.
   The next Marian possession resulted in a 69-yard scoring drive, as Gordon did most of the work and culminated the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run. Stevenson hit Kelly with a conversion toss to make it 49-30.
   Unfortunately, the Spartans were in no position to trade scores, which Carmel did with the capping 25-yard touchdown run with 4:42 to play.
   Marian got the opportunity to travel long distance courtesy of five touchback kickoffs from the foot of Carmel kicker Kevin Cook.
   Several Spartans helped uphold their end of the bargain. Along with Gordon's big night, Nnanna Alozie rushed for 33 yards and Middleton added 13 more.
   Middleton also pulled in Marian's first-half score, as he outran a 19-yard aerial from Stevenson, who finished the night 15 of 25 for 209 yards. Targets included Mike Brooks (three catches, 56 yards), John Mitrovich (four catches, 46 yards), Middleton (three for 45) and Kelly (two for 38).
   Overall, Marian moved the chains for 25 first downs.
   The Marian defense got some big hits from Andrew Eagan and welcomed the brief return of McCormick at linebacker, as well as forcing two fumbles (Carmel recovered both). However, the Corsairs finished with 552 yards of their own.
   The Marian offense clearly put up a great fight against a playoff team.
   However, the Spartans are left to play their playoff game next Friday when they conclude the season by hosting Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m.
   "It's back to the practice field and get ready for Notre Dame," a business-like Gordon said. "We want to end the season with a win."
  Sophomores: The Spartans took an early second-half lead, but eventually dropped a 21-13 decision to the Corsairs.
  Freshmen: Despite a good start on Dan Roque's quarterback sneak and Mario Earnest's conversion kick, Marian dropped a 37-14 decision to Carmel. Keithan Hedrick added a fourth-quarter score for the Spartans.

SCORING
C- Jimmy Patempa 74-yard run (kick failed), 11:44 first.
C- John Brennan 59-yard run (Sean Lees run), 1:45 first.
C- Chris Weinke 9-yard run (Kevin Cook kick), 9:41 second.
C- Cory Stonelake 19-yard pass from Weinke (Cook kick), 7:27 second.
C- Stonelake 18-yard pass from Brennan (Cook kick), 4:26 second.
MC- Derrick Middleton 19-yard pass from Zack Stevenson (kick blocked), 1:11 second.
MC- Cliffton Gordon 72-yard run (Middleton run), 10:28 third.
C- Stonelake 40-yard pass from Tyler Ankney (Cook kick), 9:08 third.
C- Ankney 6-yard run (Cook kick), 2:50 third.
MC- Gordon 1-yard run (Gordon run), 11:57 fourth.
MC- Gordon 10-yard run (Zack Stevenson to Dennis Kelly), 5:56 fourth.
C- Ankney 25-yard run (Cook kick), 56-30.

INDIVIDUALS
   Passing: C- Brennan 4 of 7, 118 yards, TD; Ankney 1 of 1, 40 yards, TD; Weinke 1 of 1, 19 yards, TD. MC- Stevenson 15 of 25, 209 yards, TD, INT; Jack Krause 1 of 2, 5 yards.
   Rushing: C- Patempa 12-145 (TD), Brennan 7-89 (TD), Ankney 6-58 (2 TD), Weinke 7-34 (TD), Lees 4-28, Dave Venegoni 7-19, J.P. Wagner 1-2. MC- Gordon 32-236 (3 TD), Nnanna Alozie 6-33, Middleton 3-13, Stevenson 6-7.
   Receiving: C- Stonelake 5-177 (3 TD). MC- Mike Brooks 3-56, John Mitrovich 4-46, Middleton 3-45 (TD), Kelly 2-38, Don Settle 1-5, Jack McCormick 1-5, Gordon 1-4.
   Interceptions: Mike Morrissey (C).

Marian shuts down the Chargers of St. Joseph Saturday 40-0

SCORING
MC- . Clifton Gordon 3 yard run - PAT failed.

         John Mitrovich 64 yard pass from Zack Stevenson - PAT failed

         Clifton Gordon 11 yard run - PAT Pass failed.

         Clifton Gordon 8 yard run. - PAT Gordon run.

         Clifton Gordon 44 yard run - PAT Gordon run.

         John Mitrovich 34 yard pass from Jack Krause - PAT run failed.

INDIVIDUALS
   Passing: MC- . Stevenson 1-7 64 yards - Krause 2-3 46 yards 1 INT
   Rushing: MC- .Gordon 25 - 152 yards - Howe  3-10 yds. - Stevenson 1-8 yds.

                          Alozie 9 - 19 yds. - Krause 2-9 yds. - Settle 8-22 yds. - Mattio 3-5 yds.
   Receiving: MC-  Mitrovich 2 for 98 yards. - Josh Howe 1-11 yds.
   Interceptions: .MC - Greg Janes 1 - Morris Pearson 1

Marian's Jeremy Hess listens intently in a huddle Friday during the Spartans' 38-13 ESCC loss at St. Patrick.

Marian lead evaporates in loss at St. Patrick

  Marian Catholic had some monumental odds stacked against it when the Spartans visited Hanson Stadium Friday to take on St. Patrick for the Shamrocks' ESCC Homecoming battle.
   With starting quarterback Zack Stevenson (illness), running back Cliffton Gordon and offensive lineman Ben McDonnell (injuries) sidelined, the Spartans were forced to call on new faces or bodies in unfamiliar positions.
   For the better part of three quarters, the Spartans were every bit up to the challenge.
   However, a wind-aided 81-yard punt seem to turn the tide for the Shamrocks, as once the Marian 13-10 advantage was erased, the home squad eventually rolled as St. Patrick improved to 5-1 with a 38-13 victory.
   Marian (0-6) fended off rough field position by making some of its own breaks (three recoveries of fumbles and muffs) and put emergency starting quarterback Jack Krause in a position to lead the Spartans to an upset win.
   Despite just having a couple days to work with the first team, Krause led Marian on a pair of scoring drives and a lead late into the third quarter. He was just 9 of 28 for 99 yards, but was sacked only one time and threw his lone interception when the contest was out of reach.
   "Even with only two days of reps with the first team, he put us in the right place where we wanted to be late in the game," offensive coordinator Ron Guagenti said of Krause. "His reads and his checks were very good, but he just didn't have a lot of time tonight.
   "He had guys in his face all night and that's a tough situation to put him in. But I think he did a heckuva job considering the conditions we were forced to put him in."
   For much of the contest, Krause, emergency tailback Nnnanna Alozie and displaced receiver Derrick Middleton helped put Marian in more than just the position in which it needed to be.
   With the Marian defense proving stingy after the Shamrocks took a 10-0 early lead, the Spartans stunned the homecoming crowd early in the second half.
   After Brandon Sherman pounced on the ball when St. Patrick fumbled the second-half kickoff, Marian made quick work to turn around a 10-6 halftime deficit.
   Middleton ripped off two of his biggest runs of the night, scampering 14 yards, then 17 more yards for his second touchdown of the evening with 9:44 to play in the third quarter. Dennis Kelly's conversion boot gave the Spartans their first second-half lead of the year at 13-10.
   The Marian defense forced back-to-back three-and-outs for the Shamrock offense, but the home team eventually took advantage of the wind at its back.
   Punting from his own 18, the Shamrocks' Michael Kotz used the wind and a great roll to pin the Spartans down inside their own 1-yard line. Marian was still at the 1-yard line when a short punt set up St. Patrick 24 yards away from the lead score.
   After the Shamrocks took a 17-13 lead, Marian escaped disaster one more time. When Spartan punter Josh Howe had his boot blocked deep in Marian territory, St. Patrick gained temporary possession and then fumbled the ball out of the end zone for a touchback.
   The reprieve was a short one, as Marian went three-and-out and the Shamrocks scored on their next two possessions to put the contest out of reach.
   Marian answered in the second quarter after St. Patrick had taken a 10-0 lead. Starting from the Spartan 28, Krause displayed confidence in leading Marian on a 72-yard drive. Aerial connections to Kelly (42 yards) and Howe (30 yards) set up a first-and-goal at the 1, where Middleton covered the final distance to pull the Spartans within 10-6.
   Middleton finished with 60 yards on 15 totes, while Alozie carried 10 times for 24 yards. Alozie also proved to be the popular target with four catches for 16 yards.
   While Marian surrendered 38 points, the defense was much tougher than the score indicated. The Spartans yielded a modest 127 rushing yards and 155 passing yards. The final St. Patrick score came on an 82-yard interception return in the game's final minute.
  Along with forcing four fumbles and recovering a muffed punt (Bryce Horath and Jovon Dixon also had recoveries), the Spartans forced five punts.
   Unfortunately, one of those punts carried 81 yards to the Spartan 1-yard line.
   Sophomores: The Spartans sustained a 23-12 loss to the Shamrocks.
   Freshmen: Keithan Hedrick rushed 6 yards for one score and Dan Roque tossed a 30-yard pass to Joe Swanson for another, as Marian improved to 4-2 with a 13-0 decision over St. Patrick. Mario Earnest added a conversion kick. The defense was ignited by Kevin Linde, Nate Coburn, Nyko Palumbi, Nick Payne, Mac Stevenson, Bryan Golubski and Arthur Riley.

The Marian offense put up a pair of scores in the first half Friday, but Marian still fell short in a 29-20 Homecoming loss.

Marian can't complete comeback against Benet

  Host Marian Catholic had designs on pleasing a Homecoming crowd with a strong comeback on Friday night.
  The Spartans limited visiting Benet Academy to just three second-half points and put themselves in a position to rebound from an early 14-point deficit.
  As well, in a match of 0-4 squads, both teams benefitted from some lucky bounces and interesting calls.
  However, the same old nemesis followed Marian, as missed tackles and dropped passes played a large role in the Spartans' 29-20 ESCC loss to the Redwings.
  Entering the contest with no receptions for the year, John Mitrovich pulled in his second touchdown catch with 8:42 to play in the contest and pull Marian (0-5, 0-5) within 29-20.
  "Zack (Stevenson) threw some great passes to me tonight," praised Mitrovich, who had four catches for 76 yards. "I got open a lot, but I give Zack a lot of credit for putting the ball in there."
  The Spartans had two more opportunities to pull closer.
  Matt Dee set up the home team at the Benet 32 after returning an interception 28 yards. However, Marian managed just one first down before turning the ball over on downs.
  After the defense held, Marian got one more shot starting at its own 35-yard line. The Spartans gained a pair of first downs and moved the ball to the Redwing 44-yard line before an interception dashed any final hopes.
  Benet (1-4, 1-4) was efficient early and took advantage of a Marian defense that allowed 295 yards (249 on the ground) in the opening half. The Redwings scored four of the first five times they had the ball and put Marian in a 26-7 hole.
  In terms of energy, neither team played like a winless squad.
  Marian initially rallied early in the second quarter. After Andrew Zerante pounced on a Benet fumble, it took the Spartans six plays to travel 28 yards and pull to within 14-7 when Cliffton Gordon took a pitch and scored from 6 yards out. Dennis Kelly booted the first of two conversion kicks.
  Gordon had a strong effort Friday. Behind the blocks of Jon Jack, Jeremy Hess, Marc Novak, Ben McDonnell, Jason Bruno and Kelly, Gordon was a workhorse with 122 yards on 23 carries.
  The Spartans rallied again in the second quarter, as Mitrovich's first catch of the year was a 34-yard touchdown catch down the sideline from Stevenson. The connection completed a nine-play, 65-yard drive and pulled Marian within 26-14 going into the intermission.
  "It's the first time all season I've had a chance to play and catch a pass, so it feels good," Mitrovich explained. "But the burden of the loss is just too much to take. It's a real come down."
  The Marian defense stiffened to allow just 133 yards in the second half, courtesy of a half a sack each for Josh Howe and Zerante, and several big tackles by Andrew Eagan.
  The Spartans allowed only three points after the intermission, but those three were costly. They gave the visitors a 15-point lead at the time, plus the initial drive of the second half consumed almost nine minutes of clock during a 17-play drive.
  Marian converted nine times on third down and once on fourth down Friday, but still suffered with inconsistency in the passing game.
  Stevenson finished 10 of 32 for 126 yards and the two scores. Nnanna Alozie caught a pair of passes for 24 yards and Evan Williams also grabbed two for 14 yards.
  The Spartans will seek that elusive first victory next Friday when they visit St. Patrick on Friday at Hanson Stadium at 8 p.m.
  Sophomores: Marian rolled to a 35-6 victory over the Redwings.
  Freshmen: Dan Roque rushed for a score and threw to Joe Swanson for another, while Keithan Hedrick scored twice to key a 36-6 win over Benet. Jacob Cohn also ran for a score and Mario Earnest kicked a pair of conversions.
   The B Squad improved to 4-0 with a 12-0 shutout of Benet, as the defense was ignited by Jake Newman (sack), Caleb Dyson, Austin Perry and Mike Gergel. On offense Mac Stevenson scored on a sneak and tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Arthur Riley. Jeremy Machlin and Walter Cunningham also rushed well for Marian.

Solid defense, special teams effort foiled in loss to Marist

   Marian Catholic's defense may well have finally come of age Friday night at Marist.
   After allowing more than 100 points in its last two contests, the unit appeared rejuvenated on Friday and was backed by a superb contest from punter Josh Howe.
   However, Marian will have to wait until next Friday's Homecoming game to put all the pieces in place and try to formulate the first victory of the season.
   Marist fended off several big plays by the Spartan defense by blanking Marian in the second half to escape with a 10-7 East Suburban Catholic Conference decision.
   Despite knocking on victory's door Friday, Marian fell to 0-4 with Benet Academy next on the target list Friday in Spartan Stadium.
   The defense not only proved true to the task on Friday, but wound up being the only Marian unit to find the end zone. After the teams traded a pair of scoreless possessions, the Spartans backed up the RedHawks near their end zone and produced the game's initial score.
   On a second-and-13 from the Marist 8-yard line, Marian linebacker Paul Zarlengo sacked RedHawk quarterback Scott Slubowski. The ensuing fumble was pounced on in the end zone by Matt Golubski to break the scoreless tie.
   Dennis Kelly's conversion boot gave the visiting Spartans a 7-0 lead with 5:25 to play in the second quarter.
   On the night, Marian compiled five sacks and recovered a pair of fumbles for its first turnovers of the season.
   The second turnover came in the contest's final minutes with the Spartans trailing 10-7.

   With Marist trying to run out the clock, tailback Mike LaRocco coughed up the ball in his own territory and Nick Clark pounced on the fumble at the Marist 40-yard line with 1:45 to play.

   "This was a huge stride for defense tonight," assessed Howe, who was involved in several snaps on both sides of the ball in addition to his punting duties. "We give up 50 points in back-to-back games and then give up only 10 tonight.

  "We had a lot of guys play all-out and play well. We just need to keep practicing hard and there's some great things to come."

  Struggling all night, the Marian offense was unable to take advantage of the RedHawk miscue. After consecutive incomplete passes, Marian lost 22 yards on a sack and intentional grounding call. Then, Redhwawk Kevin Durkin picked off a fourth-down pass to dash all Marian hopes.

  For the night, the Spartan offense managed just 92 total yards, as Cliffton Gordon's 55 rushing yards on 16 carries was the lone bright spot. Marian managed just five first downs, had only 36 offensive snaps and was 2-for-12 in the passing game.

  While Marist averaged only 4.3 yards per play, the RedHawks came up with enough big ones.

  With only 39 seconds to play in the half, LaRocco burst into the end zone from the 1 to forge a 7-7 halftime stalemate.

  Early in the final stanza, Jack Marks got behind the Marian defense for a 56-yard aerial gain. Marist quarterback Scott Slubowski was initially flagged for being over the line of scrimmage, but the officials changed the call. Consequently, the completion eventually resulted in Andy Kurgis' 23-yard field goal for the game's deciding points.

   Marian- and Howe- got their kicks as well on Friday. With the Spartans struggling to move the ball, Howe consistently salvaged field position with his punts. Of six attempts, Howe saddled the RedHawks with no return on five occasions with boots of 30, 42, 45, 50 and 53 yards.
   "I couldn't kick at all when I was warming up, so I kicked away from them and I kicked toward the sideline," Howe explained. "I just got some good bounces and everybody on the special teams played really well tonight."
   Howe also helped spark a defense that got sacks from Zarlengo, Justin Lynch (two), Andrew Eagan and Bryce Horath.
   The Spartans have not had an 0-4 start since 1967 when they responded with a victory in game five. A homecoming crowd on Friday night will hope that Benet provides the tonic in 2005.
   Sophomores: The Spartans dropped a 33-22 decision to the RedHawks.

  Freshmen: Jacob Cohn scored a pair of touchdowns, but Marian dropped a 20-14 decision to Marist. Mario Earnest added a pair of conversion kicks.

GAME 3: Joliet Catholic 57,  Marian Catholic 7

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday at Spartan Stadium.
Where: Joe Orr Road at Ashland Avenue, Chicago Heights.
2005/ESCC records: Joliet Catholic 2-0; Marian Catholic 0-2.
Streaks: Hilltoppers- 21 wins; Spartans- 6 losses.
Week 2: Joliet Catholic 54, Benet 16; St. Viator 52, Marian Catholic 21.
Week 4 (Fri.): Notre Dame at Joliet Catholic; Marian Catholic at Marist.
Last year: Joliet Catholic 21, Marian Catholic 14.
The series: The Hilltoppers have captured five straight to take a 23-8 command in the longtime rivalry. Marian´s last victory came with a 26-14 decision in 1994.
Notes: Marian will honor 30-year head coach Dave Mattio in a brief pre-game ceremony Friday at approximately 6:30 p.m. . . The Spartans celebrate Decade of Champions Friday as well with halftime recognition and post-game in the East Gym. . . The Hilltoppers have won 12 state titles, while Marian captured the Class 4A state crown in 1994. . . Last year´s seven-point margin was the closest call Joliet Catholic had in a 14-0 campaign. . . Marian has captured six consecutive home openers.

Spartans foiled by JCA in home opener

   Marian Catholic clearly made some positive adjustments at halftime on Friday night when the Spartans hosted Joliet Catholic.
   The Spartan defense came out and held the explosive Hilltoppers on the first possession of the half and the offense looked completely different than an anemic one that produced just 86 yards in the opening half.
   However, Marian was still faced with that issue of a 35-0 halftime deficit.
   Despite stronger play in the second half, Joliet Catholic (3-0) spoiled things on a night that Marian Catholic honored head coach Dave Mattio on the start of his 30th home season, as the Hilltoppers rambled to a 57-7 ESCC victory.
   Marian (0-3) looked like it might fight back into the contest after halftime.
   After holding JCA on a fourth-and-two, the Spartans took their first third-quarter possession on the Hilltopper 42.
   Marian quickly gained a first down on 7-yard gainers, a pass to Mike Brooks and a scramble by quarterback Zack Stevenson. Then Stevenson hit Cliffton Gordon over the middle on a 22-yard gain to a first-and-goal at the 6-yard line.
   After Josh Howe picked up 3 yards, Stevenson scored on a 3-yard sneak behind the blocks of Jeremy Hess and Marc Novak. The conversion kick by Derrick Middleton pulled the host squad to within 35-7 with 7:46 to play in the third quarter.
   The Marian offense continued to show some sparks, but Joliet Catholic continued to use big scoring plays to pull away to its 22nd consecutive victory.
   The Hillmen scored on their first three possessions to take a quick 21-0 lead and operated their offense at peak efficiency. Of the eight times JCA found the end zone, none of the drives consumed more than five plays.
   Joliet Catholic scored on plays of 58, 61, 64, 59, 72, 63 and 69 yards before adding its final score from 5 yards out.
   All of that added up to a second straight monster yardage total against the Marian defense.
   The Hilltoppers completed just one pass for 61 yards and a touchdown. However, their rushing offense generated 516 yards. Joe Benson bolted for 266 yards and four scores on just nine carries. Bill McKeon added 138 yards and a rushing score to go with his touchdown pass. Dan Hrvatin added 75 yards and one score.
   Other than running out the clock each half, the JCA punter visited the field just twice in addition to the strong Marian hold on downs to open the third quarter.
   For the third straight contest, Stevenson put up solid passing numbers. He was just 11 of 31, but totaled 175 yards through the air. Gordon pulled in four passes for 100 yards, Evan Williams had two catches for 25 yards and Middleton had a pair of grabs for 23 yards.
   However, the Marian rushing offense didn´t gain a yard per carry. With three sacks of Stevenson, the Spartans had 15 rushing yards on 18 attempts. After averaging more than 150 yards in the first two contests, Gordon rushed nine times for 13 yards.
   Having faced two of the league´s most potent offenses in the last two weeks, the Spartans will next visit Marist for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Friday.
   Sophs: Despite a 55-yard touchdown pass from Evan Watson to Ikem Anadumaka, Marian fell to Joliet Catholic 53-7 in the East Suburban Catholic Conference Friday night in Chicago Heights. Hugh Reynolds recorded a sack and Mike Berens recovered a fumble for Marian (1-2).
   Frosh: Dan Roque tossed touchdown passes to Joe Swanson (20 yards) and Armando Lopez (7) to key a 13-7 win at Joliet Catholic, while Mario Ernest added a conversion kick. Dave Brost, Darryl Pugh and Nick Payne excelled for the Spartans (2-1).

SCORING
JC- Joe Benson 58-yard run (kick failed), 10:07 first.
JC- Dan Hrvatin 61-yard pass from Bill McKeon (Benson run), 5:10 first.
JC- Hrvatin 64-yard run (Shane Keane kick), 2:07 first.
JC- Benson 59-yard run (Keane kick), 8:24 second.
JC- Benson 72-yard run (Keane kick), 5:17 second.
MC- Zack Stevenson 3-yard run (Derrick Middleton kick), 7:46 kick.
JC- Benson 63-yard run (McKeon to Benson), 6:42 third.
JC- McKeon 69-yard run (Keane kick), 4:36 third.
JC- Doug Roolf 5-yard run (Keane kick), 9:37 fourth.

INDIVIDUALS
   Passing: JCA- McKeon 1 of 2, 61 yards, 1 TD; John Ruettinger 0 of 3, 0 yards. MC- Stevenson 11 of 31, 175 yards.
   Rushing: JCA- Benson 9-266 (4 TD), McKeon 13-138 (TD), Hrvatin 4-75 (TD), Roolf 4-23 (TD), Will Roth 3-20, Ryan Piechocinski 1-6, Jeff Peterson 2-0, Ruettinger 2-(minus 12). MC- Gordon 9-13, Howe 1-3, Stevenson 8-(minus 5, TD).
   Receiving: JCA- Hrvatin 1-61 (TD). MC- Gordon 4-100, Evan Williams 2-25, Middleton 2-23, Howe 1-14, Michael Brooks 2-13.
   Interceptions: none.

GAME 2: St. Viator 52, Marian Catholic 21

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday at Forest View Educational Center.
Where: 2121 South Goubert Road, Arlington Heights.
2005/ESCC records: Marian Catholic 0-1; St. Viatory 1-0.
Streaks: Spartans- 5 losses; Lions- 1 win.
Week 1: Nazareth 26, Marian Catholic 20; St. Viator 35, Benet Academy 6.
Week 3 (Fri.): Joliet Catholic at Marian Catholic; Notre Dame at St. Viator (Forest View).
Last year: Marian Catholic 27, St. Viator 15.
The series: The Spartans own nine straight victories and a 10-1 series command, as the lone St. Viator victory came in 1967.
Notes: St. Viator represents the first of five 2004 playoff schedule on the Marian schedule. . . The Spartans will try to avoid their first 0-2 start since 1995. . .  Marian has scored at least 27 points in its last five meetings with the Lions. . . Spartans opponents have scored first in the last five games, dating back to last year´s meeting against St. Viator.