Geiss-less JCA survives Warriors' pass
JOLIET -- The blueprint for Joliet Catholic Academy's 51-26 victory over Crete Monee in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs Friday night at Memorial Stadium was established midway through the first quarter.
The second-seeded Hilltoppers (10-1) took the opening kickoff and nearly fumbled the ball away before putting together a 12-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with a 13-yard pass from senior quarterback John Ruettiger to senior tight end Sean Sheppard. When junior halfback Tyler Hudetz added the two-point conversion run, JCA led 7-0 with 7:38 to play in the first quarter.
Joliet Catholic's Connor Krisch looks for some running room against Crete-Monee.
(Larry Kane / Special to the Herald News)
photos by michael r. schmidt/staff photographer
PHOTO GALLERY
• JCA runs through Crete-Monee
Behind 5-foot-11 155-pound senior quarterback Tony Powell, the Warriors (8-3) answered that score on their first play from scrimmage just 19 seconds later as Powell connected on a quick 69-yard pass to K. J. Franklin. When the Crete Monee tried and failed on a 2-point conversion, you knew that the Warriors had come to play.
To prove that point, the Warriors attempted an onside kick that bounced off a JCA player and was up for grabs before Tim Bennett corralled the elusive ball at the JCA 43.
From there, Hudetz, who was starting at the fullback position in the wing-T due to a hand injury to Brandon Geiss, took center stage. Taking a handoff from Ruettinger, the 5-9 speedster found an opening and outraced the Warriors for a lightning-quick 57-yard touchdown run to put the Hillmen ahead 15-6 with 7:03 left in the first quarter.
Hudetz would go on to score four touchdowns on runs of 57, 5 19, and 13 yards while carrying the ball 28 times for 282 yards.
"I played fullback my freshman year, so I am used to playing there," Hudetz said. "I actually like it better because I can see the field better and it is easier to pick your holes. On the first touchdown, they were over pursuing so I cut it in a read my blocks."
With halfback Connor Krisch carrying the ball 18 times for 168 yards, the game proved to boil down to the JCA ground game vs. the Crete Monee aerial attack.
Powell filled the sky with 45 passes, and connected 25 times for 298 yards. A 43-yard pass after a lateral from Vee Hope to Lamont Dandridge gave the Warriors a total of 341 passing yards for the game.
The most impressive of those yards came on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Powell to Franklin on a play that saw Powell scramble for his life on a play that would have made the likes of Fran Tarkenton jealous.
That touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter cut the lead to 36-26 and had the Warriors thinking upset
"I'll tell you when he (Powell) was playing tag in the neighborhood as a little kid, he was never it," said JCA coach Dan Sharp afterward. "It looked like Rocky trying to catch a chicken out there when he scrambled. But you have to give Crete Monee credit. They have great skill people and they are a tough team to play defensively."
"Their quarterback was very quick and hard to contain," sophomore linebacker Jake Stockman said. "He dodged our tacklers and was very elusive."
"They throw the ball all over the place, come out with five wideouts, and onside kick," Sharp said. "But our kids played hard and the effort was tremendous as usual, and now we will see who we play tomorrow."
Credit had to be given to the Warriors offensive line that gave Powell good protection the entire game. And though Powell passed for nearly 300 yards on the night, he also rushed for 60 yards on 10 carries, and was thrown for a loss just four times for the game.