High School Football: Marist makes the connections

Someone in the Marist football program must have ties to the electronics chain that has the "easy" button.

The RedHawks pushed it on Friday night. Lincoln-Way Central was under it.

Marist's 42-21 home victory in the first round of the Class 8A playoffs was far more overwhelming than the score portrays. The Knights, playing for the first time in a fortnight, were never in the game.

The No. 7 RedHawks pounced for two touchdowns in the first eight minutes, and dominated the first half with the exception of one Knights sortie, which produced a touchdown in the second quarter. That closed the gap to 28-7, but the RedHawks (8-2) completed their perfect offensive first half by scoring a fifth touchdown on as many possessions.

"We've wanted to jump on guys," Marist coach Pat Dunne said as about 1,800 fans exited Marist Field. "What we saw on film suggested that every play would be a big play."

For the RedHawks, almost every play was. Quarterback Mike Perrish finished the first, third and fifth possessions with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Nick Valla. In the third case, it was a 20-yard pass over the middle to Valla, unguarded in the middle of the end zone, with two seconds left in the half. Earlier, the two juniors had collaborated on connections of 6 and 12 yards.

Senior running back Bill Seiler's running - he scooted for three touchdowns and 141 yards on 23 carries - and Perrish's passing, especially to Valla, were the offensive keys to the rout.

"That's the spread offense," Dunne said. "And the offensive line did a great job."

The RedHawks advance to play the winner of today's game between second-seeded Naperville North (9-0) and 15th-seeded Simeon (6-3) at Benedictine University in Lisle.

Two of Lincoln-Way Central's three touchdowns came in the last six minutes. The Knights (6-4) hadn't played since the eighth week of the regular season. The Knights were slated to play Joliet Township last week, but the game was canceled because a Joliet Central student contacted a form of meningitis.

The Knights were awarded a 1-0 victory, but lost the opportunity to play.

"I'm sure it didn't help," Knights coach Tim Dougherty said. "The kids were focused, but you need to play."