Football: Bishop NcNamara rolls into quarterfinals

Updated: November 5, 2011 5:18PM

Bishop McNamara senior Travis Grant liked what he saw when the Fighting Irish were preparing for their Class 4A second-round matchup with Prairie Central.

“The coaches asked me to bring my A game,” Grant said. “They said they wanted to see me run hard. We were going to be physical and they wanted to make sure I brought my A game.”

Grant and the rest of the Fighting Irish (9-2) brought their A game in routing Prairie Central 38-6 to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2005. Grant carried 19 times for 195 yards and a touchdown as Bishop McNamara with center Jared O’Connor, guards Brandon Kane and Max Hana and tackles David Roney and Zach Rapp doing the blocking up front finished with 431 yards rushing.

“We started in the I,” Grant said. “We normally run out of the spread. Our line was opening some big holes for me and I just followed them.”

While the offense was controlling the line play, Bishop McNamara’s defense was turning in another solid performance by allowing Prairie Central (7-4) just six rushing yards in the first half. The only score came on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Addison Bounds to Devin Crews to make it 7-6 4:19 left in the first quarter. By the end of the half, Bishop McNamara led 24-6 as Dalton Major scored on a 15-yard run, Jonnie Evans on a 66-yard run and Grant on a 92-yard run and Matt Powell kicked a 25-yard field goal.

“We really got after it offensively and defensively today,” Bishop McNamara coach Rich Zinanni said. “We played out of the I today because we thought we could handle them upfront.”

The Fighting Irish ended any comeback hopes for the Hawks when Brock Gabel blocked a field goal attempt and R.J. Pope ran 79 yards for a touchdown. Dyrrah Christon added a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

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