L-Way Central runs to head of pack

JOLIET -- The Lincoln-Way Central football team controls its own destiny.

With no returning starters on offense, the Knights weren't expected to be contenders in the Southwest Suburban Blue. Now, if they win out, they will be conference champions.

That's the situation Central finds itself in with just two weeks left in the regular season after a 49-0 victory over Joliet Township Saturday afternoon at Joliet West.

Not only does the victory put the Knights in a three-way tie for first place in the SWSC Blue, it clinches their 15th straight playoff appearance.

"At the beginning of the year, everyone thought we'd be down," said Central senior tight end/linebacker Jeremy Wallace, who had a pair of touchdown receptions. "But we knew if we took them one at a time and stayed confident we could do anything we put our minds to."

Central (6-1, 4-1) hopes to put its mind to the conference title, which would be its first since winning the SICA Blue in 2000 when there was still just one Lincoln-Way. The Knights close the regular season by hosting the two teams they are tied with, Lincoln-Way East and Bolingbrook.

"Our kids have been focused with the task at hand," Central coach Tim Dougherty said. "They are mature and didn't take a lesser approach to the game this week. We still have two tough opponents to get ready for, but we're going to enjoy this victory."

It took a bit for the Knights to get going on Saturday, but once they did, they just continued to roll. The game actually started out well for the Steelmen (0-7, 0-5) as they stopped Central on its first possession. JT junior linebacker Nick Larkin pressured Knights senior quarterback Bryan Hennessy into an incomplete pass on a fourth-and-3 play and the Steelmen took over at their own 34.

Then, JT tried a bit of razzle-dazzle to get its offense going. On the first play from scrimmage, junior quarterback Darious Moulton threw a lateral to junior wide receiver John Smith on the left side. Smith then fired a pass downfield and had a man open for a big gainer. But the throw was off the mark.

"We had a very good week of practice," JT coach Jason Aubrey said. "But we just didn't execute the plays we needed to on offense."

Two plays later, JT -- which had one first down and 37 yards in offense in the first half -- was forced to punt. The Knights took over at their 28 and two plays later senior running back Alex Russo rambled through the line and into the clear. He outran one last tackle attempt and went into the end zone for a 66-yard TD scamper.

"Yeah, that was my longest run," said Russo, who is known as a grind-it-out back. "In the first series, we weren't on track, but I think we answered the call in the second series and I just ran my hardest."

Russo did that as he finished with 18 carries for 150 yards and three touchdowns.

Wallace then got involved, both offensively and defensively to produce his touchdowns. First, he hauled in a pass from Hennessy and sprinted down the right sideline for a 45-yard TD with 24 seconds left in the first quarter. 

He then intercepted a Moulton pass on JT's next possession to set up Central at the Steelmen 35. Six plays later, the 6-foot-3 target grabbed another TD pass, this one from 2 yards out, for a 21-0 lead with 8:32 left in the first half.

"I didn't know what to expect by playing both ways," Wallace said. "But it's fun to stay out there and continue to play on the field. We had good practices all week long and executed. It was a great win."

Wallace finished with four receptions for 91 yards. Hennessy was 7-of-10 for 115 yards and two touchdowns.

"Jeremy Wallace is a steady guy, a playmaker," Dougherty said. "He locks in during the week and is like a computer. Then, he just comes out and plays football."

Senior kicker Scott Secor, who was perfect on extra points, connected on a 45-yard field goal. But the Steelmen roughed him on the kick and the drive continued. Then, Russo rumbled in from 6 yards out to increase the lead to 28-0.

The Knights defense, which shinned all day, got a score when senior defensive back Chad Podkulski pulled in an interception and took it 55 yards to the house for a 35-0 advantage with 53.9 seconds to play in the first half.

That was the second of four turnovers forced by Central. Senior defensive lineman Paul Burnson and junior defensive back Zach Teichmiller added fumble recoveries in the second half. Senior defensive linemen Dan Bolbat and Eric Simmons were also in on a sack as the Knights never allowed JT to complete a pass.

The scoring was rounded out in the third quarter as Russo ran it in from 13 yards out and junior running back John Palermo got in on the party with a 4-yard touchdown run.

JT finished with 140 total yards, all on the ground. Of those, 95 came in the Steelmen's final two drives as they reached the Central 8 at the end.

Junior running back Kyle Sari led JT with 14 carries for 51 yards, all in the second half, while Moulton had 10 carries for 46 yards. Steelmen starting running back, junior Davonte Thames, was banged up in the second quarter and sat out the second half. He finished with eight carries for 16 yards.

It was the first time in two years the teams actually played on the field. Last season, JT had to forfeit the final regular season game to the Knights because of a meningitis case.

While obviously disappointed with his team's 12th straight loss, Aubry praised the progress of Central.

"Their quarterback (Hennessy) makes plays and manages the game," Aubry said. "We knew what he was going to do and couldn't stop it. Lincoln-Way Central is a very disciplined team. They do what they do and they do it well."

The Knights hope to do things well this Friday when they face their biggest rival, Lincoln-Way East, at 7 p.m. in New Lenox.

"You've got to love being 6-1 and heading to the playoffs," Russo said. "Now, we just look ahead to Week 8 and come out to play our best."