Safety first: Strong defenses and turnovers rule as Nazareth beats Kankakee, 2-0

By Steve Metsch
Correspondent

Tim Racki has coached hundreds of high school football games. He’s won seven state championships, including three at Nazareth.

But he’s never seen anything like the Roadrunners’ 2022 season-opening game against Kankakee.

One minute and five seconds into the game, on second-and-13 from Kankakee’s 5-yard line, a snapped ball sailed past Kays junior quarterback Larenz Walters and into the end-zone.

Walters stepped out of bounds trying to recover the ball. The resulting safety was the game’s only scoring play.

Nazareth won by the improbable score of 2-0.

“I never experienced anything like that in my entire career. That was incredible,” Racki said. “I’ve never had a soccer score in a football game.”

Stout defenses, sputtering offenses, fumbles, interceptions and penalties contributed to the outcome.

The Roadrunners had 155 total yards on offense and held Kankakee to 160.

Nazareth expected a huge test in the Kays, who went 13-1 last season with their only loss coming to Fenwick in the Class 5A title game. Fenwick ended the Roadrunners’ season in the third round of the playoffs.

Racki thinks a tough preseason camp that emphasized conditioning helped build his team’s stamina and was a key to the victory.

“They went the full game and did not get tired or wilt,” he said. “Obviously, on offense we have a lot of work to do.

“It’s been a while since I put a team through such a grueling camp. I thought if we could be in better shape than them and go 48 minutes, we could be in business.”

Both teams appeared to be in business several times, but turnovers thwarted their offensive efforts.

Nazareth wide receiver Justin Taylor fumbled at Kankakee’s 2-yard line with 7:18 left in the first quarter.

Kankakee junior running back Tony Phillips returned the favor at the Roadrunners’ 7-yard line with 10:26 left in the first half.

Kanakee Coach Derek Hart said his team kept shooting itself in the foot.

“We knew how good Nazareth is,” Hart said. “We knew the challenge in front of us. We drove the ball a few times. Bad snap or a fumble or a sack. Too many negative plays.”

When Nazareth sophomore quarterback Logan Malachuk found sophomore wideout James Penley with a 33-yard pass to put the ball at Kankakee’s 6-yard line with 51 seconds left in the first half, it appeared the Roadrunners were in business. But a 9-yard loss on a sack, a false start and a fumble recovered by the offense killed that drive.

Taylor returned the second half kickoff 50 yards and into Kays’ territory, but a holding penalty brought it back. Taylor left the game in the second half with a leg injury.

“He’s had it before,” Racki said. “He’ll be back sooner than later.”

Late in the fourth quarter, a sack by Nazareth sophomore lineman Gabe Kaminski snuffed a Kankakee drive.

“That’s Gabe,” Racki said. “He’s old school. Doesn’t come off the field. Doesn’t trash talk. Doesn’t say much. Leads by example.”

Malachuk, who struggled all game, said the defense stepped up big time as the offense sputtered.

“It’s first-game jitters, but now we’re on to next week,” he added.

Nazareth senior lineman Aaron Bustamante said studying game film paid off.

“[Kankakee] has some very talented athletes,” he said. “We put our key players on them and they did a fantastic job of stopping them.”