Losing a key offensive cog like Harry Davis could have been devastating for Joliet Catholic.
But the Hilltoppers still had another great runner in Michael Johnson. And they had a more than capable fill-in for Davis waiting in the wings.
That’s sophomore Ke’Von Johnson, who took full advantage Friday night when Nazareth’s defensive game plan was focused on stopping Michael Johnson.
Ke’Von Johnson broke off a 20-yard run on the game’s first play from scrimmage and never let up. He finished with 17 carries for 213 yards and four touchdowns in Joliet Catholic’s wild 38-35 East Suburban Catholic Conference win in Joliet.
Michael Johnson added 99 yards on 30 carries for the Hilltoppers (7-0, 5-0), who built a 31-0 halftime lead and held off a furious Nazareth comeback.
Roadrunners quarterback Carson Bartels threw for 274 yards and five touchdowns in the second half. But it wasn’t quite enough to overcome the big night for Ke’Von Johnson, who stepped in when Davis suffered a right ankle injury in Week 3.
“Harry is one of my best friends and when he got … hurt, I felt I had to come out here and step it ip for him,” said Ke’Von Johnson, a 5-foot-8, 170-pounder. “He’s a great player and we can’t wait to have him back.”
Ke’Von Johnson had touchdown runs of 16 and 60 yards in the first quarter. In the second, he set up Michael Johnson’s 6-yard TD run with a 49-yard dash down the right sideline and ran 19 yards for a score one play after Nazareth (5-2, 3-2) tried an unsuccessful fake punt.
For the half, Ke’Von Johnson had nine carries for 176 yards. Michael Johnson added 46 yards on 13 carries, but his biggest contribution was keeping Nazareth’s defense occupied.
“We were getting Michael running both left and right, but they were really favoring him,” Joliet Catholic coach Dan Sharp said. “But give it to Michael, he did a great job of carrying out his play fakes, drawing the attention. It opened up some lanes.”
The Hilltoppers’ halftime lead could have been even bigger, But they had to settle for Zach Lukasik’s 21-yard field goal after Ken Aguirre recovered a Nazareth fumble at the Roadrunners’ 4-yard line. Those missed points loomed a lot larger after Bartels (20 for 39, 354 yards, interception) and the Nazareth passing game got rolling in the second half.
Bartels had scoring passes of 20 yards to Justin Weller, 18 yards to Christopher Simmons and 86 yards to Notre Dame defensive back recruit Julian Love in the third quarter. With JCA held to one first down, two three-and-outs and an interception, that cut the gap to 31-21.
It didn’t help that the Hilltoppers had four defensive starters out and lost linebacker and captain Brad Krisch to an injury during the game.
“You’re talking about guys coming in cold and playing against the talent (the Roadrunners) have,” Sharp saod. “They were able to find some matchups that favored them.”
Bartels’ 82-yard touchdown pass to Simmons made it 31-28 with 8:50 left, but Ke’Von Johnson’s final TD run, a 16-yarder, pushed JCA’s lead back to 38-28 at 7:10.
The drama wasn’t quite over, though. Bartels threw an 8-yard TD pass to Christian Davis with 58 seconds left, but the Hilltoppers recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
The teams each had 11 penalties, including seven each in the second half.
“That’s not us,” Sharp said. “We’re going to clean that up, believe me.”
Twitter: @mikeclarkpreps
