It was an old-fashioned Joliet Catholic drive.
On the opening drive of Saturday’s Class 5A first round game versus St. Laurence, Joliet Catholic ran 12 straight times and capped a seven-minute, 71-yard drive with a Drew Voss touchdown run.
Oh, and the rest of the first quarter wasn’t too shabby either.
Scoring four times in the first, Joliet Catholic rolled to a 48-13 win over St. Laurence at Memorial Stadium in Joliet in Class 5A action.
“It’s nice to throw in the wildcat and the double-wing so teams don’t always know what’s coming at them anymore,” JCA running back Nick Borgra said. “We hope to keep being successful and keep winning these games.”
Borgra was, as usual, the rock of the Joliet Catholic offense, rushing 10 times for 141 yards and three touchdowns on runs of 67, five and 21 yards.
“We put points on the board, and it gives our defense a cushion,” Borgra said. “It gives the offense that momentum to keep going. We had a good game.”
After its opening drive, Joliet Catholic (8-2) scored three touchdowns in the next five minutes with two of them set up by St. Laurence turnovers.
The Hilltoppers racked up 291 rushing yards in the first half alone with Michael Johnson (nine rushes, 67 yards) and Harold Davis (five rushes, 92 yards) also scoring via rushes as JCA took a commanding 41-7 halftime lead. Voss finished with 42 yards on eight carries.
“The nice thing is we’ve got four guys who can run the ball,” Joliet Catholic coach Dan Sharp said. “We like to have that multiple backfield. Maybe we don’t throw as much, but that’s where our diversity shows up.”
Joliet Catholic created five turnovers on the day, including four interceptions. Bill Rotnicki had two of his own with Peter Riccolo and Luke Phelan adding one each.
The win sets up a rivalry-fueled second round matchup with Montini, 56-8 winners over DuSable. Sharp said he’s hopeful quarterback Cade Earl will play after missing the last three weeks with a leg injury.
“Montini is a good team, but we’re hoping this is our time,” Borgra said. “We’ll come out here, play 100 percent every play, and no talking. Just back in the huddle and take care of business.”
St. Laurence (5-5) scored early in the second quarter when Tim Delaney hit Carlos Baker for a 72-yard touchdown strike. Baker finished with two catches for 110 yards for the Vikings.
Fayezon Smart added a late rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter for St. Laurence.
