St. Edward rolls up 57 points in moving to 2-0
The St. Edward football team is in the exact position it was last season.
After Friday night's 57-7 thumping of Rockford Lutheran at Greg True Field, the Green Wave is 2-0 heading into a Week 3 matchup against Immaculate Conception.
Last season St. Edward lost 5 of its final 7 games and missed the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. The same outcome is not what Green Wave coach Mike Rolando has in mind.
"That would be unacceptable," Rolando said. "The next step for this program is to make the playoffs. The team over the last four years put in a lot of work and took a lot of lumps."
Many of those lumps came against teams the Green Wave won't have to play this season. Driscoll, which won seven consecutive state titles from 2001-07, is now closed. Perennial power Montini and St. Francis, which won the Class 5A state championship, are in the Blue Division of the new Suburban Christian Conference.
But on the schedule are defending Class 2A champion Immaculate Conception, which beat St. Edward 22-0 in Week 3 last season, and Class 4A runner-up Aurora Christian.
"We can't look past IC," said St. Edward senior David Hoebbel, who rushed for 3 touchdowns and 138 yards on 12 carries Friday night. "They're really good. It's going to be a tough game. We have to work hard and get after it."
That is exactly what the Green Wave did against Rockford Lutheran as they scored more points in a game than any St. Edward team since at least 1995. Hoebbel was the entire offense St. Edward needed on the opening drive. He had 4 carries for 88 yards, including a 59-yarder and a 7-yard touchdown run.
After Jonata Pike's 31-yard interception return for a touchdown got the Crusaders (0-2) even on the scoreboard at 7-7, the Green Wave scored on its next four possessions to take control. Hoebbel and Jordan Torres had touchdown runs and Ben Lehman hit Sam Pozezinski connected on a 35-yard touchdown pass. Nathan Gaige also added a 30-yard interception return for a score as St. Edward led 43-7 just 3 minutes into the second quarter.
"Our line is amazing this year," Hoebbel said. "They work hard all week and it shows in the game."
Torres added his fifth touchdown of the season on a 43-yard run in the third quarter. Jon Godfrey finished the scoring with an 86-yard run late in the fourth.
The defense did its part by not allowing a point and holding Rockford Lutheran to 115 yards of total offense.
"Every single player played well," said St. Edward senior defensive end Jim Cholewa, who also kicked seven extra points. "It was a lot of fun."