Mustangs take show on road

St. Rita quarterback Larry Garrett looks for an open receiver.
(Scott Powers/For the Sun-Times News Group)

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It’s only fitting that St. Rita – one of the most storied football programs in the area – kicks off its 100th season on a national stage.

The Mustangs start the year Aug. 31 against Lakota West (Ohio) as part of the Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. The game will be Lakota West’s second of the season.

“We are going down there to represent the Chicago Catholic League and St. Rita,” Mustangs coach Todd Kuska said. “We are going to see where we lie. But we’re excited to have the opportunity to represent Illinois.”

So what can Lakota West (as well as the Chicago area) expect from the Mustangs? For starters, St. Rita’s senior class, led by linebacker Marty Hopkins and running back Dan Dispensa, went undefeated its sophomore and freshman seasons.

And the Mustangs are coming off two of their best seasons in recent history, having won a state title in 2006 and the Prep Bowl last season.

“This is going to be the last time a lot of us might play football,” said Hopkins, who has scholarship offers from Akron, Ball State and Western Michigan. “[Being invited to Ohio] shows me how well respected St. Rita is and how a lot people recognize what we have done in our program. It’s going to be exciting.”

Seven starters return on defense, including the entire secondary: safeties Dave Marciano and Erik Rickert and cornerbacks Jerry Ponio and Alex Vitkauskas. Hopkins and Chris Chaney come back at linebacker.

Defensive end Ryan Demming, who was Notre Dame recruit Darius Fleming’s backup last year, has a chance to be “a real impact player,” Kuska said, while Ryan Bischoff (6-1, 290 pounds) will anchor the defensive line.

“Our defense will come ready to play,” Marciano said. “I want to come out and prove that Illinois football is not a joke. I know Ohio football is pretty good, but I want to show them what we got. We’re going to come out really hard.”

Offensively, Dispensa, St. Rita’s leading rusher last year, and top receiver Dan O’Neill return. So does standout lineman Matt Munizzi (6-0, 245). As far as other players to watch, look for quarterback Larry Garrett, lineman Mike Martin (6-1, 305) and sophomore running back Jahwon Akui to play prominent roles.

“We’re going to take it to you on both sides of the ball,” O’Neill said. “We play smash mouth football … and we’re going to show that in Ohio.”

ajahns@chicagosuntimes.com 

ST. RITA BY THE NUMBERS

Conference: Catholic Blue

Coach: Todd Kuska 11th Season (87-38)

2007 Record: 10-4 (1-3) Class 7A Second Round

2007 Final Rank: 9

2008 Schedule

August

31 Lakota West, Ohio

September

5 De La Salle

13 @ Leo

19 Mount Carmel

26 @ Providence Catholic

October

4 @ Loyola

11 @ Fenwick

17 Brother Rice

24 Hope Academy

Key Game: September 19 vs. Mount Carmel: Arguably the biggest rivalry in the state, St. Rita hopes to rebound from a 35-19 loss to the Caravan in 2007.

Phil Barnes