Warren falls to Loyola Academy in second round
WILMETTE – What we learned on the gridiron this weekend is that while the North Suburban Conference Lake Division plays a pretty good brand of football, it’s just not the same as what they’re doing in the Chicago Catholic League’s Blue Division.
Loyola Academy’s 21-7 win over Warren High here on Saturday afternoon in the Round of 16 of the IHSA Class 8A playoffs meant that the Catholic League’s elite division’s four playoff qualifiers went a combined 8-0 over the first two weekends of postseason play.
On Friday, Chicago Mt. Carmel from the Catholic League took out NSC Lake champion Stevenson 23-16.
And though it looked as though Warren could beat Loyola on another day, it wasn’t to be for the Blue Devils here Saturday.
After battling to a 7-7 halftime tie, Loyola scored a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to secure the victory.
“When yo lose in the playoffs, it’s tough to see the good, but we had a good season (8-3) and got to the second round of the playoffs,” noted Warren coach Dave Mohapp. “Last year, we were 9-2 and won a conference championship. We lost a lot of good players from that team and this group cam ein and did a good job for us.”
The best job on Saturday was done by senior Greg Kennedy, who completed his prep football career by rushing 19 times for 125 yards and scoring the game-tying touchdown on a 73-yard run in the closing seconds of the first quarter.
That 7-7 score stood until Loyola quarterback William Forsyth completed a 15-yard scoring strike to Bryan Luna with 7:34 left in the third quarter. After a Warren turnover, Forsyth (11 for 16, 94 yards, 3 TDs passing) hit Joseph Gross with a one-yard TD pass to complete the scoring.
Forsyth was the difference as Warren’s two QBs were a combined 5-for-23 passing for 40 yards and 1 pick.
“That’s as good a defense as we’ve faced all year,” said Mohapp. “But if we could get the ball in the hands of Greg (Kennedy) and Tom (Lindal), we thought they could make some things happen for us.
“It kind of worked out that way, but we started the second half with bad field position and were forced to do things we don’t normally do.”
Warren’s defense played well. Loyola ran the ball 40 times and gained just 84 yards, but the Ramblerls were efficient, and that’s why they are advancing and the Blue Devils are starting basketball practice on Monday.
“This was a good year for our seniors,” said Mohapp. “They stopped up and worked hard. We build a good foundation for the future.”
Among the senior surprises was Kennedy, whose poor judgment off the field cost him his junior season at Warren High. “He’s an exciting kid to watch play. It was good to have him on the field for us,” the coach said.
