Stay Connected with YourSeason
Isaac’s late heroics lift Hilltoppers
23523994
Updated: August 28, 2011 12:14PM
Ty Isaac has become a man.
The Joliet Catholic junior running back, who had been in the shadow of Nothwestern-bound senior teammate Malin Jones, let the world know Friday night at Joliet Memorial Stadium that he is a pretty special football player in his own right.
Isaac, who rushed 221 yards in 17 carries, including touchdown runs of 70 and 46 yards, scored on a 75-yard pass from junior quarterback Craig Slowik with 35 seconds left as the No. 12 Hilltoppers spoiled Carmel’s comeback from a 25-10 deficit midway through the third quarter and beat the No. 7 Corsairs 32-31. The Corsairs, who had three players rush for more than 100 yards, were absolutely stunned in the final minute when Isaac pulled final miracle from his bag of tricks.
He gathered in Slowik’s long pass along the left sideline outside the Carmel 40-yard line, broke a tackle at the 37, made a nifty cutback and outran the defense to the end zone. Isaac Grashoff, who made two 36-yard field goals in the first half, won it with his extra point.
“We practiced the pass play all week,” Isaac said. “I had to work on my hands. I knew once I caught it that I had to bring it down to the end zone.”
“Ty has some things to work on, like we all do, but what about the big plays he gave us,” Joliet Catholic coach Dan Sharp said. “He is as good as there is. And the thing about him and Malin is, they know they can get better.”
All in a night’s work, right Coach?
“My heart jumped out of my chest when Ty caught that ball,” Sharp said. “This was one of my most exciting moments in 34 years of coaching.”
© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.
Cell Phone Alerts
Comments Click here to view or make a comment