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Loyola’s Weaver the difference in win
Updated: September 3, 2011 7:31PM
Malcolm Weaver and Jordan Westerkamp matched big play for big play all afternoon Saturday.
The difference was Weaver’s supporting cast for No. 12 Loyola, which took charge early with a 21-point first quarter and rolled to a 41-24 win over the No. 7 Broncos in Wilmette.
Weaver, Loyola’s senior quarterback, threw touchdown passes to three different receivers and lived up to his last name with a twisting, turning 28-yard scoring run. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 246 yards and five scores and ran 15 times for 100 yards.
Westerkamp, Montini’s Nebraska-bound receiver, hauled in seven passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns despite being double-teamed on every play.
“He has amazing hands,” Weaver said of Westerkamp. ”There was one play where the ball flew out of bounds and Charlie [Dowdle, a Loyola receiver] was about to catch it. Westerkamp just comes out [of nowhere] and makes a one-hand catch. If he can do that and run a 4.5, 4.6 [40], he’s going to be really good at Nebraska.”
Weaver is pretty good himself, as Montini (1-1) discovered to its dismay.
“He was the difference in the whole game, I thought,” Broncos coach Chris Andriano said. “We knew he was good, we just thought we could contain him better.”
But Weaver just had too much help. Connor Person had touchdown catches of 6 and 18 yards, finishing with five receptions for 61 yards. Marquese Martin-Hayes had team highs of eight catches and 86 yards, while Dowdle’s two catches for 23 yards both went for touchdowns. Dylan Brennan added five catches for 78 yards and a score and Willie Palivos ran 26 times for 92 yards.
“I don’t know how many third downs they [converted],” Andriano said. “It demoralizes the defense.”
Loyola (2-0) also was pretty good on fourth down. Person made a leaping catch for an 18-yard touchdown reception on fourth down in the third quarter and Dowdle’s second scoring catch was a five-yarder on fourth down in the fourth quarter.
Montini led 7-0 after Westerkamp’s first touchdown, a 22-yarder from Mark Gorogianis (16 of 29, 275 yards) less than a minute into the game. But Weaver threw scoring passes to Dowdle (18 yards) and Brennan (16 yards) and ran for another score for a 21-7 Ramblers’ lead after one quarter. Montini never got closer than 11 points after that.
Person’s 6-yard scoring catch and Westerkamp’s second touchdown, a 38-yarder, made it 28-14 at halftime.
Westerkamp added a 12-yard touchdown and Andrew Harte kicked a 37-yard field goal in the second half for Montini.
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