Luke Ricobene had a perfect seat.
IC Catholic’s junior quarterback made a screen pass to senior running back Jordan Rowell during a wild Week 2 win against St. Laurence. A Viking defender sent Ricobene to the turf as the ball left his hand. When he sat up, the QB smiled at the play’s result.
“I see him make one little move,” Ricobene said, “and three St. Laurence guys run into each other. Then he just kind of stepped around them and went 60 yards for a touchdown.”
It seems everyone at IC Catholic has a favorite Jordan Rowell moment. Coach Bill Krefft offers last week’s win against St. Edward, when Rowell amassed 215 yards on four carries. Or a great game he had against Aurora Central when he was only a freshman.
When asked what his favorite play has been so far in this special season, Rowell quickly recalled two plays in which he wasn’t involved.
When pressed to name his favorite play featuring himself, Rowell offered a 99-yard touchdown run against St. Edward. First, though, he highlighted who made the key block.
“I was just trying to get four or five yards, give us some room ahead of the goal line,” Rowell remembered. “Then (fullback) Matt Jordan made a huge block. I saw daylight, and I saw that everybody else was blocked too, and I was like, ‘Here we go!'”
Rowell has been the key to IC Catholic’s resurgence as one of the area’s top small-school teams. Since winning their second state championship in 2008, the Knights did not surpass the second round of the playoffs again until last season. Led by Rowell’s 1,682 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns, IC made the Class 3A semifinals.
Bishop McNamara won that game 42-14 on its way to the 3A title. IC Catholic served notice in Week 1 who the team to beat in that class would be this season, turning the tables on McNamara 34-0.
The Knights defeated St. Laurence, a 2015 5A semifinalist, 63-49 in Week 2. Since then, they’ve outscored Elmwood Park, Chicago Christian and St. Edward 177-3.
“It’s been exhilarating,” Rowell said. “It’s like there’s never a dull moment. Even in the games where we pull way ahead, the second- and third-string guys get to go in there and make plays, and that gets the rest of us pumped up.”
Rowell’s combination of 6-foot-2, 188-pound size and speed that has earned him nine Class 1A state track medals through his junior year is simply unstoppable for most teams on IC’s schedule. He has rushed for 910 yards and 16 touchdowns on 59 carries so far this season, an average of 15.4 yards per attempt.
“My first two steps might not be as fast as the fastest guys, but I can get going pretty quickly after that,” said Rowell, who also starts at cornerback. “Then when I do, it’s going to take more than one guy to bring me down because I’m not a light runner.”
Rowell committed to Northern Illinois in June, but he reopened his recruitment Thursday. The decision was first reported by Tim O’Halloran of EdgyTim.com.
Rowell and the rest of the Knights have made Plunkett Athletic Complex the place to be on Friday nights in Elmhurst. They have perhaps their toughest remaining test Friday when they host 4-1 Riverside-Brookfield.
“It’s fun to show up on Friday night and see thousands of people here, five deep around the field,” Krefft said. “Our kids are being supported by the community, the school, the media, everybody. We’re all honored to be on the ride.”
Twitter: @Larkin_Will
