JCA bruised -- with a 'W'

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Years ago, the Chicago Bears put a team on the field that seldom won.

But every opponent knew what was coming -- plenty of bumps and bruises. When you played the Bears, you knew you were in a physical battle.

Marian Catholic High School has had plenty of success in the long career of coach Dave Mattio. This year, the victories have been few and far between. But somehow, Joliet Catholic Academy always brings out the mean streak in the Spartans.

Junior Rob Cranmer kicked a 29-yard field goal with 1 minute 10 seconds left to finally secure the Hilltoppers' 16-7 East Suburban Catholic Conference victory over Marian on Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

The outcome extended the win streak to six for JCA (6-0, 6-2), improved its playoff seeding and clinched a tie for the ESCC title. Yet the big thing on the collective minds of the Hilltoppers was how those bumps and bruises were going to feel the rest of the weekend.

And of course, how their standout middle linebacker, Josh Mander, would be after suffering an ankle injury on the kickoff following Cranmer's clutch field goal.

"We know it's his (left) ankle," JCA coach Dan Sharp said, understandably concerned. "For sure, it's one of those things where an X-ray will take place to find out what is going on."

Junior linebacker Jake Stockman, who like Mander was all over the field on this night, was more upbeat.

"He gave me a smile -- we have this smile system -- so he'll be fine," Stockman said.

"I hope he's OK," senior wingback Tyler Hudetz said. "Josh is definitely a big part of our defense. He gets us going."

While Hudetz wished his teammate the best, he also had to tend to his own body.

"Yeah, they beat me up tonight," he said. "Every year they have a real physical team. The big surprise to me is that they can be 1-7 now. I think they're a great team."

"Carmel is the only game that has gotten away from them," Sharp noted.

Hudetz entered needing 147 yards to tie Joe Benson for third place on JCA's all-time career rushing list. It took him 28 carries, but that's exactly where he finished, with 147 yards.

Of course, he lost 10 yards when he tried to scoop up a low snap on a punt and accidentally touched his knee to the ground. And he lost a good 40 yards on two downfield holding penalties in the second half.

Still, it was no easy pickings against the Spartans.

JCA mounted a 13-play, 49-yard scoring drive on its second possession. It took 6 minutes 31 seconds off the clock in a first half that seemed to zip by.

"It was such a quick first half," said Hudetz, who scored the touchdown from a yard out. "They really keyed on me, and we had to make some adjustments."

One of those was to get senior fullback Calvin Smith involved offensively, and he responded with 71 yards in 16 carries. "Calvin was moving piles tonight," Hudetz said. "That helped us a lot."

Still, at halftime, JCA's usually productive offense had managed 78 total yards -- Hudetz had 21 yards in 12 carries to that point -- to Marian's 57.

The opportunity gone awry that stuck in JCA's collective craw came after Stockman flew in and blocked a Marian punt, setting up the Hilltoppers with a first down at the Spartans' 25 with 3:15 left in the half. But on fourth-and-2 from the 5 in the final half-minute of the half, Matt Ginnetti's pass intended for Smith was intercepted by Daniel Vargas, leaving JCA's halftime lead 7-0.

"That was the one we should have scored on," Hudetz said.

"Actually, Mander and I practiced a twist game," Stockman said of the punt block. "We used it, and I think it confused them. It was something they hadn't seen."

Hudetz decided to do something about it. On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, he popped through a hole, broke a tackle in the Marian secondary and was off to the races, a 66-yard scoring jaunt. The kick failed, but JCA had a two-touchdown cushion.

Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers' defense was superb, not allowing Marian past the JCA 49-yard line until Hudetz's knee touched down early in the fourth quarter.

"One thing that's really been helping us is that our defensive tackles, Tyler Gannon and A.J. Plese, are getting such a good push," Stockman said. "They're always in the backfield. And Tom McGrath and Mike Madrigal are doing a real nice job at the ends."

Marian took over at the JCA 22 after Hudetz's knee touched, and the Spartans scored on a pass that Steve Fehrenbacher nearly intercepted to make it 13-7. But JCA responded with a 10-minute-plus drive to Cranmer's clinching field goal.

Whew.

"We tip our hats to Marian," Stockman said. "They're tough kids. They get excited to play us, they want to beat you. You know they have the JCA game circled on their calendar."