When Thomas Ives convinced Matt Rafferty to come back to football this fall it changed the complexion of Hinsdale Central’s season.
That connection proved fruitful again Saturday.
Rafferty hit Ives for touchdowns on his first two passes — the Hinsdale quarterback threw for four scores total – and the third-seeded Red Devils beat sixth-seeded Benet 28-11 in the first round of the Class 8A playoffs in Hinsdale for their first postseason win in six years.
Rafferty, a 6-7 senior said to have several mid-major basketball offers, sat out his junior year to focus on basketball.
He returned for first-year coach Dan Hartman, and Hinsdale Central (8-2) upset preseason No. 1 Bolingbrook in Week 1. Slowly but surely, Rafferty and the Red Devils are rounding into form.
“I thought I’d give it a try, see how it goes,” Rafferty said, “and right away I knew these guys were great. We’ve all worked hard to get where we are.”
Hinsdale Central, a first-round loser the last three years, last won a playoff game in 2008; that year the Red Devils made it all the way to the Class 8A championship game.
The history wasn’t lost on Ives.
“The community definitely needs it,” Ives said. “We were ready for this win.”
Rafferty wasted no time Saturday finding his favorite receiver. Ives, one-on-one with a Benet defensive back, got a step and Rafferty hit him in stride for an 80-yard touchdown on Hinsdale’s first play from scrimmage.
Colin Goss intercepted a Benet (6-4) pass on the next play, and a play later Rafferty hooked up with Ives again, this time for a 43-yarder to make it 14-0 not even midway through the first quarter.
Rafferty, 11-of-20 for 256 yards, later threw TDs of 12 yards to Ryan Doney and 16 to Bradley Huth.
“We saw the safety come up a little bit, which we thought would give Thomas a great opportunity to go over the top,” Rafferty said. “I laid a good pass out for him and he ran under it.”
Alex Byrnes later intercepted two passes for Hinsdale Central, which advances to play at Simeon.
“Our corners aren’t the biggest,” Hartman said, “but they did a great job of making plays.”
While Hinsdale Central gained a quarterback to start the season, Benet lost one when Jack Beneventi transferred to Fenwick.
The Redwings rallied behind sophomore QB Jack Sznajder and his older brother, 1,300-yard rusher Brad Sznajder.
But this wasn’t Benet’s day.
Jack Sznajder, 10-of-21 for 118 yards, was intercepted three times, and an early hole prevented the Redwings from dictating tempo behind Brad Sznajder. Benet’s all-time leading rusher finished with 166 yards and a late 5-yard TD.
“Our game is trying to control the ball and try to get it to Brad as much as possible,” Benet coach Pat New said. “When you fall behind like that it makes it tough.”
It wasn’t hard for New to think big picture. On his jacket he wore a button with the number “26” for Andrew Valadka, a senior defensive back who suffered a spinal fracture in a game Oct. 10.
“You still want to win, but if anything this season gives us perspective of what’s important in life — health obviously No. 1,” New said.
