2nd-half Ramblers do it again to punch their ticket to state

In a clash of perennial football powerhouses, two-time defending IHSA Class 8A champion Loyola Academy survived an early onslaught and went on to knock off previously undefeated and top-ranked Lincoln-Way East on Saturday, Nov. 23, to advance to the title game for the third consecutive year.

In 2022 and 2023 when the Ramblers defeated the Griffins in the state championship contest, those games were played at the University of Illinois and Illinois State University, respectively, but this time the battle was a semifinal matchup, and the Ramblers had to triumph before a fiercely hostile crowd at Lincoln-Way East.

Now, Loyola (11-2) will return to Hancock Stadium on the Illinois State campus at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, to meet a new challenger, York (11-2), which was a 20-15 winner in its semifinal showdown at Naperville Central (11-2).

Twice in the first half the Ramblers fell behind by 10 points, and at halftime they were looking at a 16-13 deficit.

Loyola coach Beau Desherow thought the turning point came when his 6-foot-7 tight end Brendan Loftus caught a 12-yard end zone pass from Ryan Fitzgerald, enabling the Ramblers to make it a three-point game with 2:44 to play late in the first half.

“They brought their safety down on me and I knew the ball was coming,” Loftus said. “This was the coldest game all year and my hands were freezing. I had to lock in. The O-line gave Fitz time and he threw a great ball so it was all on me to make the catch.”

“That gave us momentum,” Desherow said of Loftus’ catch.  “And we knew we were getting the kickoff to start the second half.”

Loyola capitalized on that second-half advantage by turning the first possession into a 14-play, 77-yard drive and the go-ahead touchdown that came on Fitzgerald’s 4-yard pass to Gavin Vradenburg.

“That opening drive (to start the second half) was awesome,” Desherow said. “It gave us more momentum; it killed a lot of clock and it set us up for the fourth quarter.”

In the fourth quarter the Ramblers killed more clock when they drove 62 yards in 13 plays for a touchdown that came on Drew MacPherson’s 15-yard run, giving them a 27-16 lead with 2:59 on the clock.

“I saw a great block in front of me, I saw the hole and I took off,” MacPherson said. “They had some young players we thought we were going to be able to take advantage of and in the game we were able to do so. The blocking picked up in the second half and we were able to run the clock down.”

It turned out to be the winning touchdown.

Lincoln-Way East immediately counterattacked and went 80 yards in six plays for a touchdown. Zion Gist tallied the TD on a 27-yard pass from junior superstar Jonas Williams and a two-point conversion narrowed the Loyola lead to 27-24 with 2:01 remaining.

The Ramblers recovered an onside kick at the Griffins’ 49 but were unable to make much headway and were in a fourth-and-3 situation at the 42 with 54 seconds left — enough time for the home team to tie or win the game.

But the Griffins were in too much of a hurry and Fitzgerald exploited it, drawing them offside for a 5-yard penalty that gave the Ramblers a first down. They then let time expire.

“We were heavy underdogs and it meant a lot for us to win here,” said linebacker Charlie Daly, one of the stalwarts when the Ramblers’ defense slammed shut their first-half window of vulnerability for almost the entire second half.

“We were prepared for adversity,” said lineman Kai Calcutt, another key player on the defensive unit who has become a significant contributor since returning for the last game of the regular season at Mount Carmel on Oct. 25. Calcutt missed three games because of an Achilles tendon injury sustained at DePaul Prep on Sept. 28.

“Their quarterback is very athletic and very smart. We made corrections in the second half (to thwart him),” Calcutt said.

Griffins come out firing

Led by the Oregon recruit Williams (considered by some to be the state’s top quarterback), Lincoln-Way East took the field averaging 41 points-per-game and had blown out nine opponents by 42 or more points, while holding the opposition to an average of 9 points-per-game.

The Griffins struck for touchdowns on their first two possessions, creating the illusion that Loyola was destined to become the latest victim of their reign of terror.

On the third play of the game Williams connected with Talon White on a 72-yard touchdown pass and Grant Urban kicked the extra-point.

Loyola answered by driving to the home team’s 14 before settling for Zak Zeman’s 31-yard field goal.

But Lincoln-Way East then went on an 80-yard touchdown drive climaxed by another Williams-to-White scoring pass, this one for 6 yards. The extra point kick failed and when the first quarter ended 1 minute 56 seconds later the Griffins were leading 13-3.

The Ramblers, however, again were on the move.

This drive stalled at the Lincoln-Way East 18, and Zeman returned to kick a 35-yard field goal.

“Those field goals turned out to be great,” Desherow said. “They let us end drives by putting points on the scoreboard and we needed those points to win.”

After Zeman’s second field goal, the Griffins retaliated by advancing to the Ramblers’ 26 except this time they were the ones who had to settle for a field goal — a 43-yarder by Urban that restored their second 10-point lead.

‘Battle tested’

But by the end of the half — because of Fitzgerald’s touchdown pass to Loftus — it was anybody’s game and the Ramblers seized the opportunity.

Fitzgerald, with his passing and running, and MacPherson, with his running and receiving, were in the forefront along with the hard-charging line that frequently threw Williams for losses.

Whereas Williams relied mainly on White when he passed, Fitzgerald used seven receivers: MacPherson, Vradenburg, Loftus, Conlon Kane, Owen Joyce, Will Carlson and Chase Williamson.

“I don’t believe in favorite receivers,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s a collective thing.

“Coming out at halftime we were down and we knew we had to score. We showed how battle-tested we are.

“Lincoln-Way doesn’t get to play the competition we do. During the regular season we played three teams that are going to be playing in state championship games in other classes (7A Mount Carmel, 6A East St. Louis and 4A DePaul) and another team (St. Francis of Wheaton) that was a semifinalist (in 5A).

“There’s a reason why we win. We have that mindset and that dedication. I’m really proud to be on this team that has gone from a 1-2 start to beating the best (ranked) team in the state.”

“We’re one step away from our goal,” Desherow told his team. “It was a great victory. We’re going to celebrate but we still have a championship to win.”

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