Playoff upsets have sent many of the state’s top teams home early this year. But not Joliet Catholic.
The Hilltoppers shut down the Fenwick offense to move a step closer to their 12th state championship with a 35-0 Class 5A quarterfinal victory Friday night in Joliet.
Although that point total did not come close to the 69 Joliet Catholic (12-0) scored last week against Riverside-Brookfield, the Hilltoppers’ performance was impressive nonetheless in their second playoff shutout.
“They were just too big and too physical,” Fenwick coach Joe DiCanio said.
Before this game, the Friars had shown a well-balanced offense, averaging just over 23 points. But 49 of Fenwick’s 63 yards at halftime were on runs by quarterback Brien Rooney.
“We were prepared for anything,” said Joliet Catholic linebacker Chris Jeske, whose team has given up only six points in the playoffs. “Whatever they were going to try, we were ready for it.”
After missing a 38-yard field goal on its first possession, the Hilltoppers scored on a 3-yard run by Chris Clancy (18 carries, 124 yards) early in the second quarter. The touchdown came after a 28-yard run by Joe Benson on third down.
Benson scored on a 1-yard run to make it 14-0 with 1 minute 23 seconds left before halftime. The Fenwick defense nearly had two takeaways on that 65-yard drive.
The first was a dropped interception; the second was a Hilltoppers fumble that Joliet recovered just short of the Friars’ goal line.
“If they’d gotten that turnover, it would have been a big momentum swing,” Clancy said.
Clancy added two more TDs with runs of 12 and 33 yards in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. He finished with 95 yards on 12 carries.
Although Fenwick (10-2) is out of the state playoffs, its season is not over just yet.
The Friars will play the winner of Saturday’s Brother Rice-St. Rita game for the right to represent the Catholic League in the Prep Bowl on Nov. 26.
