NORMAL — When the pandemic came, the players left Nazareth.
With no prep football in Illinois in fall 2020 because of COVID, star quarterback JJ McCarthy transferred to national power IMG Academy in Florida. Other players moved elsewhere, including Iowa and Indiana, in order to continue their careers.
When the football calendar returned to normal in the fall of 2021 after an abbreviated spring pandemic season, a new class of freshmen arrived at Nazareth.
“Our numbers iust dwindled,” Nazareth coach Tim Racki said. “These guys came in with faith that the program would grow — not just grow but that they would lead it back to where it was prior to that shutdown.
“And that’s certainly what they did in a big way.”
Several of the freshmen started on the varsity for a team that reached the Class 5A quarterfinals. They haven’t lost a playoff game since.
The Roadrunners won their third consecutive Class 5A title on Nov. 30, holding off a Joliet Catholic comeback to prevail 29-27 at Illinois State’s Hancock Stadium.
Four-year starting quarterback Logan Malachuk completed 18 of 31 passes for 336 yards and four touchdowns for Nazareth (12-2). Trenton Walker had four catches for 123 yards, including TDs of 74 and 16 yards. The other scoring passes were for 34 yards to James Penley (three catches, 88 yards) and 6 yards to Stanford commit Gabe Kaminski.
Malachuk completed 66% of his passes for the season (202 of 306) for 3,419 yards and 46 touchdowns, wrapping up a career that produced a 17-1 playoff record along with the three state titles.
“Coming in as a freshman, I didn’t really know what to expect,” Malachuk said. “I knew one person coming here. And I knew the culture they had because of so many people that had told me.”
He found that culture to be every bit as good as advertised: “The way they welcomed all of us in and taught us the right way — the Nazareth way — how to play football. How to treat your teammates. How you treat them like brothers, and the brotherhood that they create.
“Yeah, state titles are nice. But I really feel like this group and all the groups of the past have done a tremendous job of staying together no matter what adversity, no matter what we face.”
There was some adversity for Nazareth against Joliet Catholic (10-4). The Hilltoppers scored two touchdowns in the final 3:30 of the fourth quarter to cut a 29-14 deficit to 29-27.
But JCA had to go for two after the last touchdown — missing on a pass — because of some special-teams magic by Roadrunners kicker Frankie Nichols. Also Nazareth’s backup quarterback, Nichols threw a two-point conversion pass to sophomore Henry Salakas after the Roadrunners’ fourth TD.
That wasn’t Nichols’ only big play on special teams. He ran 24 yards for a first down on a fourth-and-8 from the Nazareth 3-yard line to keep alive a drive that ended in the Roadrunners; third TD.
“That is one where he does have the green light,” Racki said. “He’s fast enough and he’s an athlete. … He knows that if it’s there, no matter where we are on the field, that you get that first down.”
Nichols did, and he and the Roadrunners are celebrating another state championship.