Joliet Catholic picks on Redwings
Joliet Catholic running back Tyler Hudetz said he and his offensive line are "like brothers."
That was not brotherly love they showed Benet.
Against the Redwings on Saturday night at Benedictine University the 200-pound senior rushed for 275 yards on 24 carries with touchdown runs of 10, 67, 26 and 21 yards in Joliet Catholic's 61-19 East Suburban Catholic Conference victory.
After a quarter he had 43 yards on 6 carries.
"So we made an adjustment where I'd get the ball more inside and I could just take it right up the gut. The offensive line did all the work for me, I just had to run right up the gut and it was there."
Benet (2-5, 2-3) was there early. On the game's first possession Jimmy Riley passed and Mike Wuest ran the Redwings to four straight first downs at one point. Riley found Mike Vanchieri dragging the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown, Andy Remar made the kick and all was peachy, Benet up 7-0 at 8:15 of the first quarter.
Joliet Catholic (5-2, 5-0) led 14-0 after a quarter and 20-7 at halftime - Hudetz notching his first touchdown 18 seconds before halftime - but it was manageable.
Things looked better still for Benet when the Redwings forced a punt, and Wuest bulled in from 7 yards to trim the deficit to 20-13 at 9:47 of the third.
Ten seconds later, the floodgates opened.
Hudetz - "like our Paul Hornung," coach Dan Sharp said - began with a 67-yard touchdown run on the next play, frustrating Benet coach Gary Goforth to no end.
"It's funny that we stopped them on the drive before with the same defense and we bring it up and they just (went) right through it," he said.
In short order Joliet Catholic scored on a 1-yard run following a 66-yard interception return, on Hudetz 26- and 21-yard runs, and on a 33-yard interception return to post a 55-13 lead entering the final quarter.
The offensive line of Dan Foreman, Bill Bodzianowski, Nick Blatti, Nick Avery and Joe Kripp worked with military precision to pace 482 yards rushing.
Wuest added a 4-yard touchdown run and finished with 85 yards on 13 carries for Benet, which will work on pride without the playoffs as a beacon.
"I think it's all going to be what our football team wants to make it, if we want to go out with two more wins or two more losses," Riley said. "I think the big thing is just come out firing because these are going to be the last games of our life."