Wrapping up the Downers Grove North running back for a tackle, St. Rita senior defensive back Timmy Swanson wasn’t sure what had happened behind him.
He just wanted to make sure he brought the player to the ground.
Then, teammate Kyle Keyser was sprinting past him with the ball untouched to the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown return.
Just like that, the Mustangs had struck first in the Class 7A second-round game.
Swanson had jarred the ball loose, beginning a crazy defensive day on Nov. 6, but St. Rita eventually lost 17-7 at DGN.
“We saw that play a million times in film,” Swanson said. “I saw him go up for it and went up with him. I don’t know what happened. I laid the hit and next thing I know Kyle is running into the end zone.”
A year after reaching the 7A title game, St. Rita finished 7-4 and won the Catholic League Green title.
Besides his forced fumble on the first drive of the game, Swanson added an interception and a blocked field goal for the Mustangs.
Swanson played a key supporting role on special teams and defense as a junior, but didn’t start on the Class 7A state runner-up squad.
This season, he developed into a go-to performer in the defensive secondary.
“This game means a lot,” Swanson said. “Just going out there in my last game, I’m glad I gave it my all. You try to keep your head up. There’s not another group of guys I’d rather lose with than this group.”
As a junior, he scored 38 runs as a pinch-runner extraordinaire on St. Rita’s Class 3A state champion baseball team.
St. Rita started the season 2-3 but regrouped with a five-game winning streak heading into the DGN game.
“We all knew we had it in us,” Swanson said. “We stayed together through it all. Guys transferred out, but we knew this was a group that could get it done.”
Senior running back Brandon Johnson Jr., a Lindenwood recruit, finished with 18 carries for 90 yards.
Senior quarterback John Fennell suffered a hand injury on the first drive of the game that limited his ability to throw, forcing the Mustangs to rely solely on the run game against a stingy DGN defense.
The Trojans hit a field goal and scored a rushing TD to go up 10-7 at half, adding a game-sealing TD midway through the fourth.
Fennell said he was going to try and battle through the injury.
“I don’t know what happened but I came back to the sideline and my thumb was tilted all the way down,” Fennell said. “It was a lot of pain, but I still wanted to play my hardest. It was very important to me to keep playing. We had to give it our all.”
Coach Martin Hopkins said he was incredibly proud of the effort.
“This is my first senior group. They’re overlooked and they don’t care at all,” Hopkins said. “They show up, work and don’t care about the glitz or the glamour. I didn’t think it would end. I had a lot of faith and confidence.”