Pigskin Wrap: Lemont overpowers Richards in SSC crossover

By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer

Richards is in a pretty good position to get into the playoffs this year, but all of its success has come within the South Suburban Conference Red.

Outside the Red? The Bulldogs know they still have some work to do.

After a 68-30 crossover road loss to SSC Blue powerhouse Lemont on Oct. 7, they are 0-3 outside the Red and have been outscored 147-38 in those games.

On the other side of the coin, Richards is 4-0 in the Red with two games to go and have outscored their conference foes 148-84.

The Bulldogs need one more win for playoff eligibility and two more for an automatic berth. They host Oak Lawn (1-6, 0-5) on Friday and close the regular season with a home game against Reavis (4-3, 3-2).

Bulldogs quarterback Joe Mayo said he’s not thinking about the playoffs yet.

“The 6A South is stacked with Simeon, East St. Louis and Lemont,” Mayo said. “We don’t want to worry about that stuff right now. We just want to get better and make big jumps in each game.”

Losing by 38 to Lemont, which was ranked third in the state in Class 6A by the Association Press, may not sound like a big jump. But offensively speaking, the Bulldogs saw improvement compared to their two non-conference losses to Morgan Park and Marist, in which they scored a combined six points..

They opened the season losing to the Mustangs, 30-2, and the RedHawks, 49-6. Hanging 30 on nicknameless Lemont, which came into the game allowing an average of 12.5 points per contest, is a step in the right direction.

Mayo, who has picked up interest from Division I schools and recently Ball State recently, threw for 310 yards and four touchdown. He found receiver Terangie Eskridge nine times for 88 yards and a pair of scores.

Richards senior running back Michael Maura tries to find running room against Lemont on Oct. 7. Photo by Jeff Vorva

CCL/ECC
In what could be arguably the play of the year thus far, Brother Rice’s Owen Lyons made a one-handed 26-yard catch on third down to help lead the Crusaders (4-3) to a 31-24 double overtime win over defending Class 4A state champion Joliet Catholic in a crossover.

What made that Ryan Hartz-to-Lyons catch even more special is that it was broadcast on WCIU-TV, and the catch was captured on an end zone camera for all to watch again and again.

Marist (4-3) beat Montini 37-6 as junior Marc Coy ran 15 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Dermot Smyth threw for 109 yards and ran for 86 more. Kicker Kamil Kokot not only had a field goal and four extra points, he returned a kick for 27 yards and a punt for 5 yards.

Nazareth (3-4) won its second straight game to keep its playoff hopes alive with a 42-6 win over Leo. Alexander Angulo and Braden Ferguson each ran for two touchdowns. Gabe Kaminski was dominant on defense with five tackles for loss and four sacks.

De La Salle (1-6) dropped a 40-26 decision to Marian Catholic. Evan Smith blocked a punt and return and ran it in from 15 yards out for a score. He also blocked a point-after-touchdown attempt. Amarye Howard threw a TD pass and ran another one in for a score.

St. Rita (5-2), which finished second in the state in Class 2A last year, secured playoff consideration with a 52-19 victory over Marian Central Catholic. Given the number of victories the Mustangs’ opponents will likely have after the regular season, they are almost assured of a postseason berth even if they were to lose their final two games.

St. Laurence (3-4) was blanked 42-0 by Mount Carmel. The Vikings need wins against Notre Dame (5-2) and Providence (4-3) for playoff consideration.

SXU wins again
Saint Xavier, ranked 18^th in the nation in the NAIA in a coaches’ poll, staved off Olivet Nazarene, 17-10, in Bourbonnais in a Mid-States Football Association Midwest contest to win its fourth straight game.

Quarterback Stuart Ross threw for 241 yards and found Justin Pringle six times for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

The Cougars (4-2, 2-0) host Missouri Baptist (2-4, 0-2) at noon on Saturday.

South Suburban Red

Reavis (4-3, 3-2) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 29-15 victory over Oak Lawn (1-6, 0-5).

Argo (4-3, 1-3) needs at least one win over Oak Lawn or Evergreen Park for playoff consideration and both wins over those two teams for a guaranteed playoff spot after dropping a 35-7 decision to Eisenhower.

Metro Suburban Blue

Chicago Christian (3-4, 1-3) hung on to its playoff hopes with its second straight win, a 44-19 triumph over Aurora Central Catholic. The Knights need wins over Phelan Leadership Academy (Indianapolis) (0-6) and Ridgewood (4-3). Zeke Goble had a pair of late TDs for the Knights.

Riverside-Brookfield’s (5-2, 4-0) four-game winning streak was snapped with a 48-12 crossover loss to Immaculate Conception, the AP’s No. 1-ranked team in Class 3A.

West Suburban

Lyons (6-1, 3-1) bounced back from its setback to York to beat Downers Grove North, 28-21, in the Silver division for a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.

Morton (3-4, 3-1) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 42-12 victory. The Mustangs must beat Downers Grove North and Willowbrook (both 4-3) for playoff consideration.

SouthWest Suburban

Sandburg (2-5) topped Stagg (2-5), 35-7, in a crossover battle between two District 230 schools.

Chicago Public League

Goode (6-1, 5-0) guaranteed itself a spot in the playoffs with a 44-0 victory over Chicago Vocational School in the Red Southwest. Goode has won five straight.

Catalyst Maria (4-3, 4-1) beat Noble/Pritzker 30-14 in the Red-Central to keep its playoff hopes alive.

Curie (3-4, 1-3) beat Hubbard (0-7, 0-4) 38-8 in the Red South and must beat Kenwood (4-3) and Clark (3-4) for playoff consideration.

Solorio (3-4, 3-2) beat Back of the Yards (1-6, 1-4), 46-0, in the Blue-Southwest.

Gage Park (1-6, 0-5) lost 34-0 to Tilden in the Blue-Southwest.

Kennedy (2-4, 0-5) lost a 40-6 decision to Noble/Bulls in the Red West.