The scoreboard read 43-16 in favor of Joliet Catholic at the end, and frankly, there may never be more relief associated with a game that was never in jeopardy.
Was the victory over a game Nazareth squad crisp? Not entirely. Was it typical? Yes, and after a very frightening, very win-streak-threatening nail-biter a week before against St. Patrick, typical will do just fine for the Hilltoppers.
Joe Benson ran for 147 yards on 13 carries and scored twice, with Dan Hrvatin adding 92 yards and two scores. And thus Joliet Catholic (9-0) enters the playoffs riding a 28-game win streak.
“Especially with last week, because St. Pat’s jumped up on us, we made sure; we wanted to seal the deal,” Benson said. “It was a great work week at practice, and we got the job done.”
But the domination was as much about what Nazareth (3-6) gave the host team as it was about what the Hilltoppers took.
Two of Joliet Catholic’s scores came on the first snap of a possession–a 70-yarder by Benson in the first quarter that opened scoring and a 48-yarder by Hrvatin later in the first half.
But there also was a safety recorded when a punt snap flew over Nazareth punter John Thunander’s head, and a final fourth-quarter score from Doug Roolf that arrived after another punt mishap for the Roadrunners. Not to mention a few too many false starts, and a 90-yard kickoff return for a score surrendered to Nazareth’s Rodney Payton.
But a Joliet Catholic defense that had surrendered an average of more than 30 points per game in the previous three weeks did stiffen against a Nazareth pass attack that could’ve provided some fits.
The Roadrunners–without leading receiver Charlie Hayes after a first-quarter ankle sprain–didn’t record an offensive score until five minutes remained, a 23-yard pass from Dario Sierra to Chris Messina.
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bchamilton@tribune.com
