Perez, Goro run past Ramblers

When Matt Perez woke up on Saturday morning and observed the cold, windy weather conditions, the Maine South running back had a feeling that it was going to be his day.

It took Charlie Goro a little longer to figure it out. But when Maine South's quarterback saw Loyola's defense employ a three-man front, daring him to throw the ball, he knew what the game plan was going to be.

"I couldn't wait to play," Perez said. "I knew I'd be carrying the ball more than usual. I was looking forward to it. Being a running back in our offense isn't as bad as people think. It spreads out the defense so it isn't so hard to find running room."

Perez, a 6-0, 197-pound junior, rushed 18 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns and Goro carried 15 times for 96 yards and one touchdown and completed 15 of 21 passes for 134 yards and another touchdown as top-ranked Maine South (11-0) trounced Loyola 26-7 in Park Ridge.

Goro and Perez each scored on 51-yard runs as the Hawks punched a ticket to the state quarterfinals for the seventh time in the last nine years.

Goro, utilizing his athleticism and 4.5 speed, broke away on the third play from scrimmage and Loyola (8-3) never recovered.

"It was a scripted play," Goro said. "They were trying to take away our passing game. We saw on film that their right end split a little wide before rushing the passer. Our right tackle (Zach Timm) pulled and hooked him and opened up a huge hole. Our offense is so dynamic. We have so many weapons."

Meanwhile, Maine South's defense earned some plaudits. Timm, Nick Catino, Corby Ryan, Mike Cooney, Demos Tingas, Zach Glasebrook and Tyler Benz kept Loyola out of the end zone until after the offense had built a 26-0 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter.

"Everybody talks about our offense and overlooks our defense. Maybe now people will respect us more," said Timm, a 6-3, 217-pound senior who plays both ways. "We knew we had to shut down their quarterback (Lucas Ruske) and not let him outside. And our offensive line had to keep pressure off Goro."

The Hawks succeeded on both counts. Ruske was limited to 23 yards on 18 carries. He completed 10 of 25 passes for 164 yards, most in the fourth quarter, including a 19-yard scoring pass to James Martin. Goro was hurried a few times but wasn't sacked until the issue had been settled.

After Goro's 51-yarder, Maine South drove 84 yards on its third possession to build a 13-0 lead in the first quarter. Goro passed 28 yards to John Alviti and Perez ran 12 yards, then six, then scored from the 10.

"Perez is the best running back I've ever coached," Maine South coach Dave Inserra said. "He has such balance and strength. We know we can run the ball. We controlled the clock and took the ball out of their hands. On defense, we stopped their run and made them one-dimensional."

In the third quarter, Perez bulldozed over a couple of defenders and broke away for a 51-yard TD run. On the Hawks' next possession, Perez busted a 15-yarder to key a 48-yard drive that was capped by Goro's four-yard scoring pass to Joey Orlando.

"It's a lot of fun to run in our offense," Perez said. "I still get a fair share of touches."