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Nazareth holds on to pull off upset
Updated: September 30, 2011 10:56PM
The large “Black Hole’’ banner vocal Nazareth students displayed throughout last week’s victory at Marist didn’t come out until the end of Friday night’s East Suburban Catholic showdown against Joliet Catholic.
The exuberant Nazareth fans unfurled the banner on the field at Memorial Stadium after the visiting Roadrunners built a 24-7 fourth-quarter lead and held on for a 24-21 victory, their first over Joliet Catholic.
“We really didn’t get a lot of respect,’’ Nazareth coach Tim Racki told his players afterward. “Until tonight!’’
Nazareth (5-1, 5-1) running back Joshua Moore was the workhorse with 37 carries for 176 yards and one touchdown after Rudy Romagnano, the Roadrunners’ leading ballcarrier, left the game with an ankle injury after their first play.
“This means the world, the best victory we could ever have,’’ Moore said. “The best thing in our history, right here. We were confident. Not cocky, but confident.’’
“To beat a program like that, we got a victory over a legendary program,’’ Racki said. “Our running game, we knew our offense would be the best defense against their lethal weapons on offense.’’
Ty Isaac’s 56-yard touchdown reception got Joliet Catholic (5-1, 4-1) within 24-14 with nine minutes left and Isaac scored on an eight-yard run with 7:51 to play after Joliet Catholic recovered an onside kick at Nazareth’s 10-yard line.
“We didn’t play our best game tonight, that’s for sure,’’ Joliet Catholic coach Dan Sharp said. “They ran the ball on us pretty successfully.’’
Nazareth led 17-0 at halftime on a 22-yard, first-quarter field goal by Matthew Ramsey and two second-quarter touchdowns.
After Nazareth linebacker Aeneas White recovered a Joliet Catholic fumble early in the second quarter, the Roadrunners drove 74 yards in 13 plays to go ahead 10-0 on a one-yard keeper by quarterback Sam Poulos with 4:55 left in the quarter.
Nazareth’s Kalium Ewing got behind the Joliet Catholic secondary and hauled in a 45-yard scoring pass with 20 seconds left in the half. Ramsey added his second extra point kick for the 17-0 advantage.
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