Collide and conquer

Geneva running back Michael Ratay has been a force to be reckoned with on the field this season. His record-setting season is a big reason why the Vikings will compete for the Class 7A state title on Saturday. It's also a big reason why he's The Beacon News Football Athlete of the Year.

(Heather Eidson/Staff photographer)

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In 24 years of coaching, including the last 11 as a head coach, Carmel's Andy Bitto has seen his share of great high school players. Having won nearly 100 games and a state title, he's coached a few, too.

That includes this season, when his 10-1 Corsairs traveled to Geneva for the Class 7A quarterfinals two weeks ago. With several defensive players already committed to play college ball, Bitto felt good about stopping Vikings running back Michael Ratay. But he knew it would be difficult.

In the end it proved impossible, which put Carmel in a club with 12 other teams this season. Ratay's outright domination this season is why the senior is the 2008 Beacon News Football Athlete of the Year.

As the Vikings prepare to play East St. Louis for the Class 7A state championship Saturday, Bitto recalled the backbreaker in the Vikings' 35-21 victory over the Corsairs. It was a third-and-3 in the third quarter and the game was tied at 14 when Ratay took a pitch right: "Our 250-pound tackle hit him the backfield, then our linebacker came up and hit him and he bounced out and outran our corner and picked up 14 yards," Bitto said. "I'm like, 'What do you do with that?'"

Ratay scored a play later to make it 21-14 and finished with 192 yards and three scores.

"Mike started to rev it up," Bitto said. "I counted -- he had 20 broken tackles. The reality is you cannot tackle this kid with one guy. It was not an anomaly that when the game was on the line he was going to take it over if you couldn't get two or three guys to hit him, and sometimes that didn't work either."

While he has one game remaining this year, Ratay's season already is one of the most prolific any running back has produced in Illinois history [see box]. And he's dominated against top competition -- of the Vikings' 13 games, nine have come against playoff teams. He averaged 210.6 yards per game and rushed for 28 touchdowns in those games.

"I really didn't expect to get that many (yards and touchdowns), but at this point those numbers don't really mean anything. What matters is the 13-0 and for the team to win," Ratay said.

Bitto put him in a class of three other players -- Joliet Catholic's Mike Alstott and J.R. Zwierzynski as well as St. Patrick tailback Curtis Lipsey, who helped Louisville beat Alabama in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl.

Batavia coach Mike Gaspari compared Ratay to Joliet Catholic's Joe Benson, who eventually became a second-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins.

"(Ratay and Benson) are the two best backs we've had to prepare for in all my years at Batavia, and that's saying a lot," said Gaspari, who watched Ratay run for 358 yards and six scores against his Bulldogs. "He carries greater energy than most of the people he's playing against. My impression is the heart he plays with has a lot do with the way he finishes runs, too."

Ratay said the DVD of Chicago Bears legend Walter Payton, "Pure Payton," inspired him to initiate contact and never run out of bounds. But it was the effort of his offensive line -- Bryce Biel, John McNeil, Anthony Miller, Anthony Strauss and Greg Gregory -- that truly motivated him.

"I said if I get to the second level, I know the offensive line is getting the holes for me," Ratay said. "They've been giving me the holes and they're always going as hard as they can so I have to go as hard as I can for them."

Geneva coach Rob Wicinski has seen Ratay come back from a broken leg his sophomore season to become one of the all-time great running backs in state history, and offered up the highest praise.

"His work ethic is outstanding, he brings a smile to every practice and he just exudes confidence and patience," Wicinski said. "Then you tack that onto a lot of natural talent, (and) you've got yourself a nice recipe for success. We've been very fortunate and I've been very blessed as a coach to have him on the team."

He paused.

"I think this is a career-type kid for me as a coach. That's how special he is."