Patience pays off for Provy tailback
NEW LENOX -- Tim Hanrahan always has been considered a fast back.
Now, he's learning to run with a little patience, too.
Hanrahan, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior, ducked in behind the big boys in front of him, waited for them to put a hat on a hat and then exploded for a career-high 228 yards rushing in Providence's 24-0 victory over Fenwick on Friday night at Kaffer Stadium.
He carried 20 times -- the highlight coming after Providence took possession on its own 11 following a punt, the two teams locked in a scoreless tie nearing the midway point of the third quarter.
Hanrahan followed the blocking of Jake Lembke and Patrick Ward on a first-down run that he initially took into the middle of the Friars' defensive line.
Then, when Lembke and Ward sealed the left side, Hanrahan cut back and hit the accelerator. He outran Fenwick's Quintin Wright on the way to an 89-yard touchdown that put Providence on top 7-0 with 6:12 left.
The Celtics (1-1) went on to rush for 278 yards and pulled away in the second half behind the play of their offensive line.
Luke Conrad scored on a 16-yard run. Pat Wright booted a 22-yard field goal and Pete Houlihan capped the scoring with a 42-yard punt return.
Hanrahan's big game came after he rebounded from a slow start. He was limited to 10 yards on his first five carries -- runs for 0, 1, 2 and 0 included in the string.
"They came out with a little more intensity than we did," Hanrahan said. "And they smacked us in the mouth on those first couple plays. Then, we went to the sidelines. Once we made a couple of adjustments, it seemed like we started rolling. When we get in a groove -- the offensive line was just moving people all around. They were washing down linebackers all around me.
"And when they're washing down linebackers, it's easy to run the ball. I'm going to get a lot more credit that I deserve. It's the offensive linemne -- they're doing an awesome job."
Fenwick (1-1) threatened to jump on top in the second quarter.
The Friars pinned Providence deep in a battle for field possession and took over on the Celtic 31 following a punt. They moved to the 4 before stalling. On fourth down, Dominick Campagna trotted out for an apparent 21-yard field goal attempt. Joe Musso, his holder, fielded the snap and ran to his right on a fake. He was pressured into throwing a pass that sailed over everybody in the back of the end zone.
Providence's defense, after allowing 111 yards and eight first downs in the first half, tightened the screws in the second. The Celtics allowed only one first down the rest of the way.
"We just had to make sure we all got to that sweep and that we all got to our guys on the outside on contain," Providence linebacker Joe Michals said. "Overall, I think we played really well in the second half, our whole team. It was just a whole team effort. And it was just great to get a win. It's really important, especially with (Mount) Carmel coming up next week."
Houlihan returned three punts for touchdowns last season and was chomping at the bit on a dash through the middle of the Friars' coverage team to add to that total.
"Yeah, we put it in at practice this week, actually, and it was wide open," Houlihan said. "My blockers did a phenomenal job. I can't ask for any blocking than that. Originally, if it was in front of the 40-yard line, I was supposed to fair catch it and let our offense run the ball. But I figured I'd make something out of it.
"I got hit from the side -- on my elbow, actually. It knocked me off my balance. But I recovered nicely and made the best out of it."
Fenwick was paced by Greg Killingsworth's 52 yards rushing on 21 carries. Joe Romano completed 4-of-15 for 41 yards but was under pressure much of the night. He was tackled twice for losses totaling 31 yards, once after he was hit by Providence's John Huguelet and fumbled, the Friars scrambling to retain possession deep in their own territory.
"Fenwick is a great team, and they're always going to give us a battle," Providence coach Mark Coglianese said. "We hung with our game plan. Eventually, I think we started to wear them down. I think that's what we have to do. We're young in a lot of the skill positions, so we're going to have to count on Timmy (Hanrahan) and our offensive line to carry us a little bit."
'Cogs' saw a blast from Providence's past in Hanrahan's running.
"He's just a junior, and it's his first year on the varsity, but he's kind of learning to run the way our tailbacks have run in the past," Coglianese said. "Get behind the big boys. Get the yardage when it's there. Get in the seams and break the long ones once in a while. He does have that speed. It's a nice weapon to have."
