Marian Central humbles St. Edward
St. Edward football coach Mike Rolando knows exactly where his team stands after 8 weeks of football.
"It's win or go home next Friday," the Green Wave coach said as his team was handed a 48-7 defeat by Marian Central at Greg True Field in Elgin in a Suburban Christian Conference crossover Friday night.
The coach only echoed the fan chatter, which turned from excitement as St. Edward (5-3, 2-2) opened the game to counting playoff points as the Hurricanes (6-3, 3-1) mounted a 35-0 lead at halftime.
The Green Wave faces Wheaton Academy, a team they have never played before, in Elgin next Friday in what amounts to a playoff game for the Wave, who likely will not have enough points to get in the postseason at 5-4.
And St. Edward knows it needs to bounce back from Friday night.
"We can definitely come out and play," said Green Wave receiver Zack Von Ahnen, who caught 5 passes for 46 yards. "We have heart."
St. Edward quarterback Ben Lehman hooked up with Von Ahnen on an 8-yard route early in the second quarter. Marian Central linebacker Jared Koch popped the ball out of Von Ahnen's hands and right into those of teammate Andrew Stone.
Stone ran the ball back 32-yards for a touchdown to put Marian Central ahead 28-0 with 9:12 left in the first half. St. Edward did manage to bounce back and set up a first-and-goal from the Hurricanes' 5-yard line in the final minute of the first half.
The Green Wave only picked up a yard on 3 plays before an offside penalty moved them back 5 yards. Lehman threw an incomplete pass to Von Ahnen and St. Edward turned the ball over on downs.
In the running-clock second half, the Green Wave again had a first-and-goal on the 3, but Lehman was intercepted by Kevin Bussey, who ran the ball 102 yards for a touchdown.
St. Edward did score when Lehman hooked up with Sam Pozezinski on a 9-yard pass with 9:40 left in the game.
Marian Central got 2 touchdown passes from Ben Krol, 2 scoring runs from Corey Cavitt (2, 41) and a 67-yard touchdown from Koch.
"Tonight, everything was our weakness," Rolando said. "We couldn't stop the run. We couldn't stop the pass. We couldn't play special teams. We're not this bad of a team."