Redemption = Providence

Providence back Tim Hanrahan is tackled by Oswego's Johnny Boecker during playoff action Friday night in Oswego.
(John Patsch/Staff Photographer)

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OSWEGO -- One of the cardinal rules in baseball relates to the concept of staying away from the pitcher who is throwing a no-hitter once he returns to the dugout. Everyone, that is, except the White Sox's Mark Buehrle.

Remember how Buehrle acted this summer when he threw a perfect game against Tampa Bay? He joked around with his teammates, then walked into the clubhouse to talk to the trainers and the team's staff -- nothing that you might imagine.

So, mere minutes into the fourth quarter of Friday night's Class 6A second-round playoff football game against host Oswego, Providence tailback Tim Hanrahan sat in silence on the bench, being similar to Buehrle in his mind if not spirit.

Fumbles? What fumbles?

"You know what, I try not to think too much during the game," said Hanrahan, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior who had fumbled an uncharacteristic three times. "I just try to put it all behind me, and I have a short memory."

Short-term memory meant a long-term gain in several long runs for Providence. Hanrahan finished with 209 yards rushing on 33 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime as the Celtics outlasted Oswego 16-10.

Just listen to junior quarterback Joey Houlihan describe the demeanor of Hanrahan heading into the final moments of that fourth quarter and you can easily picture why Providence (10-1) escaped the clutches of Oswego (8-3).

In the second half and overtime, Hanrahan hit the previously smothersome -- that's bothersome with a smother instead -- Panthers for 134 yards, including 124 in the fourth quarter and all 10 on a couple carries in the OT.

To Houlihan, however, Hanrahan had been the equivalent of a bottled-up firecracker on the Fourth of July, waiting to explode. Those fumbles proved to be the spark that lit, with the help of the offensive line, Hanrahan's fuse.

"Tim really didn't say anything," Houlihan recalled. "He was sitting down, he was quiet, and you knew he was going to do better. He was in a zone. Nobody would talk to him, and as he was sitting there, he was just so focused."

"He's our go-to guy," Celtics offensive coordinator Marty Balle said. "He had some struggles tonight, but Timmy has great character and I knew, and we all knew, that he was going to come through for us. There never was any doubt in my mind."

Doubt disappeared like paper caught in the 30-mph wind as Hanrahan followed his fumbleitis breakdowns with a ferocious breakout, especially on the last drive in regulation. He turned five consecutive carries into 54 yards.

"Tim showed his true colors there, and I'm sure nobody felt worse than he did," Providence coach Mark Coglianese said. "But he did what he to do, and we finally got them on their heels a bit, finally got some momentum running the ball. And momentum is big."

Part of Providence's momentum revolved around Hanrahan's redemption

and, well, what's a more natural combination than the Catholic religion and redemption? Hanrahan found it with his 6-yard TD run.

Hallelujah, amen, etc.

"It felt pretty good," Hanrahan said, allowing himself a slight smile. "I was just glad that we were able to get on top of them for once. With that score, I thought that we would get the 'W' and that's what it's all about in the playoffs -- surviving."

"Going into the overtime, I was fairly confident we could score running the ball with Timmy and we wouldn't have to throw it," Coglianese said. "I was confident in our defense as well, and I was confident even in the kicking game if it came down to a field-goal try."

Setting up that stage, Balle gave Houlihan (4-of-11 passing, 101 yards, 1 TD) the green light to audible during the fourth quarter's two-minute drill. Suddenly, Providence's ground game located its legs and Hanrahan headed into open spaces.

"I say it every week, every time I have a big game, it's the offensive line," nodded Hanrahan, who entered with 1,274 yards and 14 TDs on 224 rushes. "They were blowing people up by the end of the game, making huge holes for me to run through, and as usual our defense played great."

"Timmy got a different type of attitude, our offensive line got a different type of attitude and the kids got after it," Balle said. "We had been stepping on our own toes, but we went back to Providence Catholic football, running it hard, and Timmy did a great job."

Job one, according to Hanrahan, was forgetting the hurtful trio of fumbles. As he noted, "I try to have a short memory after those plays, and I don't know what was going on with that. I kept screwing up and that comes down on me." He also acknowledged, "two hands on the ball and cover it up."

That said, after Hanrahan nailed a 4-yard burst to start OT, Providence lined up again in the I-formation and loaded up No. 5 for another round of Tim Time.

"We had all the confidence in the world in him," Houlihan said. "He is one of the best running backs in the state, and he did amazing in the fourth quarter and overtime. He had so much confidence in himself and the O-line, and that showed in the end tonight."

A perfect game for Hanrahan and the Providence offense, like Buehrle's show, can wait. Because on this night, warmer but windier and with Oswego's defense resembling Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain, the Celtics called upon their history.

And redemption fit better.