Stay Connected with YourSeason
Marist pulls out win over Joliet Catholic
Updated: November 23, 2011 9:36PM
It was billed as a showdown for a conference title.
It became a shootout. More than 1,000 yards worth.
It came down to the last few seconds, and what almost was a fifth down for Joliet Catholic.
An officials meeting finally decided it, as Marist claimed a 56-51 victory Friday before a full house in the Mount Greenwood community.
Nic Weisher’s acrobatic catch on an 15-yard pass from Ian Woodworth with 1:10 remaining assured Marist (7-2, 7-1) a share of the East Suburban Catholic Conference title with Nazareth, which plays St. Viator on Saturday hoping to gain its share of the crown.
Weisher’s grab came at the end of a 78-yard RedHawks drive. Joliet Catholic (7-2, 6-2) had tied the score at 49 with 4:21 remaining via a 77-yard touchdown reception by Malin Jones and a PAT kick by Isaac Grashoff.
“I had all the confidence in the world in my players,” Woodworth said of Marist’s subsequent drive. “And oh, what a catch by (Weisher). That’s them going up and competing. I just throw the ball. They go up and get it.”
Quarterback Craig Slowik drove the Hilltoppers downfield in a hurry, finally scrambling on a third-down play to the Marist 1. With no timeouts remaining, Slowik then spiked the ball.
Confusion reigned on the field as the officials at first declared that Joliet Catholic would have one more play. But frantic pleadings from the Marist sideline to review the four previous plays resulted the ruling that the ball went back to Marist with 1.3 seconds left.
Woodworth took the next snap and ran a few feet in the end zone, taking a safety as time expired.
The numbers were staggering.
Woodworth was 35 of 45 for 557 yards and four touchdowns. He had one running score of one yard. Weisher had eight catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Also for Marist, Ryan Carroll had 15 catches for 213 yards. Ryan Meyer had six catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Peter Andreotti rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns.
For Joliet Catholic, Ty Isaac had 22 rushes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Jones had two touchdowns rushing and five receptions for 211 yards and two touchdown.
© 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