The verdict is in on Loyola’s yearly reinvention. This edition is going to score, and it’s going to score a lot.
The Ramblers added another impressive chapter to their 2016 season on Friday, Sept. 23. Loyola ran up and down the field, knocking off Chicago Catholic League rival Fenwick 52-21 at Triton College in River Grove.
Senior quarterback Tommy Herion was 19-for-21 for 258 yards and two touchdowns, and senior running back Kyle Rock added 11 carries for 91 yards and three scores. Senior defensive back Ryan Lin-Peistrup added two interceptions of Fenwick’s Jacob Keller in the second quarter to seize all momentum for the Ramblers.
“I’m just happy we came out, offensively, and set the tone,” Loyola coach John Holecek said. “We rely on them. It’s no secret. That offense, if they haven’t been clicking, I haven’t seen it. Those guys have been great all year. They’re well-rounded, the coaches do a great job of scheming, and that group is going to be carrying the load all year.”
Fenwick (4-1, 1-1 CCL Green) cut the deficit to three with 4:51 left in the first half. But Loyola, as elite teams do, flipped a switch. The Ramblers (5-0, 2-0 CCL Blue) ran off an eight-play, 80-yard scoring drive, the defense forced a Keller interception three plays later, then the offense again scored two plays after that.
“Scoring before the half was big, but it’s not only that,” Holecek said. “Getting the ball to start the second half and then scoring again on the first drive, that’s just huge. And that’s been our offense. They’re just so solid, and doing that puts so much pressure on the other offense to score.”
On the first drive of the second half, after an exceptional kickoff return, the Ramblers needed just six plays to go 34 yards to find the end zone. In just over eight minutes of game time, the Loyola lead stretched from 17-14 to 38-14. The Friars were unable to recover, and the defending Class 8A champions couldn’t stop scoring.
The win over Fenwick marked Loyola’s 22nd consecutive victory.
“We knew they were all fired up, coming off two big wins against former state champs (Phillips in Week 1, Montini in Week 3),” said Loyola tight end Jake Marwede, a Duke recruit. “We knew we were going to get everything they had. We were prepared, though.”
Ramblers defense passes test
Holecek had expressed concern about his secondary after allowing a combined 71 points to Maine South and Mount Carmel in previous weeks. Facing a Fenwick team that had surpassed 30 points in each of its four victories to start the season, Loyola’s defense more than held its own Friday.
“(The secondary) was good. We’ll see on tape, because we’re never satisfied,” Holecek said. “But Ryan (Lin-Peistrup) made two big plays, and you can get beat a couple times if you make big plays. … Those big plays make up for a lot of deficiencies.”
Friars defense overwhelmed
Over its previous three games — against Bowen, Montini and Leo — Fenwick had allowed a combined 14 total points. Loyola showed it can make good defenses look awful. The Ramblers scored touchdowns on drives of 61, 31, 80, 19, 34, 80 and 58 yards.
“They went at areas where we may be deficient right now,” Fenwick coach Gene Nudo said. “We’re young at certain spots, and they hit us where they needed to. Give Loyola credit, they’re a well-coached team that executed. They’re good. They’re the best team I’ve seen, that’s for sure.”
Rich Mayor is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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