Joliet Catholic grounds St. Viator

Joliet Catholic's running game was too much for St. Viator to handle on Friday night.

The Hilltoppers piled up 377 yards on the ground en route to a 42-13 victory over the host Lions. A big key to that total was the surge created by Joliet Catholic's offensive line.

"We've just been improving," Joliet Catholic running back Tyler Hudetz said of his offensive line. "We were really inexperienced coming into this year too. And they are really stepping up."

Hudetz carried the ball 18 times for Joliet Catholic (2-2, 2-0) and amassed 106 yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. Fellow running back Calvin Smith added 80 rushing yards of his own on only 6 carries, he also had a touchdown.

Perhaps the most amazing stat of the game was the Joliet Catholic's offense only had 3 plays that resulted in negative yardage.

"I think we are now starting to get on track with our blocking schemes, and we are getting off the ball better," Joliet Catholic coach Dan Sharp said of his line's play. "I thought we got off the ball well, sustained our blocks well, and our backs did a very nice job of finding the holes and then fighting for extra yardage."

At times, St. Viator's offense was able to move the ball, but 8 Joliet Catholic sacks of quarterback Julian Sipiora put the Lions in long yardage situations too often.

"I didn't think we played that bad," St. Viator coach Chris Kirkpatrick said. "We're a little inconsistent. Offensively we've got to get more consistent."

Kirkpatrick also added that Joliet Catholic is quite a talented team, and they showed that Friday night.

"They're good, there's no question about it," Kirkpatrick said. "They outmanned us. (They are) just a little bit bigger, and faster and stronger. They are a good team."

Sipiora was the offensive leader for St. Viator (2-2, 0-2). He was 14 of 23 passing for 158 yards and a touchdown. He also had a rushing touchdown to go along with 46 yards on the ground.