Ramblers put it all together in road rout of Rams

Loyola Academy went on the road on Friday, Sept. 27, and the Ramblers put on their finest performance of the season when they routed previously undefeated DePaul College Prep 35-7 to climb above .500 for the first time.

“Great job,” Coach Beau Desherow told his team (3-2). “We came out and did everything we were supposed to do.”

In the first half Ryan Fitzgerald spearheaded the offense by completing 9 of 11 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns and scoring on a run.

In the second half the domineering offensive line opened holes that running backs Drew MacPherson and Luke Foster exploited.

Fitzgerald’s 45-yard completion to Gavin Vradenburg that advanced the football to the Rams’ 2-yard line was the key play in the rapid fire drive for the first touchdown. An illegal receiver penalty then wiped out what would have been a TD reception by Vradenburg and pushed the ball back to the 7-yard line but Fitzgerald’s back-to-back runs of 6 yards and 1 yard enabled the Ramblers to open the scoring with 3:49 to play in the first quarter.

“It was a bummer (when the penalty negated the TD reception) but we ended up getting the touchdown, which was the important thing,” said Vradenburg, who has developed into one of the Ramblers’ most reliable wide receivers.

“Vradenburg has great hands but what I like most about him is that he’s a very physical blocker,” Desherow said.

In the second quarter Conlon Kane and Will Carlson were Fitzgerald’s targets on end-zone passes of 8 and 4 yards, respectively.

“I trust my quarterback and he trusts me,” Carlson said. “He loves to get out of the pocket and he put me in a position to make the play.”

Fitzgerald was scrambling when he went down after throwing the pass to Carlson and didn’t return to the game, apparently aggravating the injury to his right hamstring that caused him to miss the loss to St. Francis of Wheaton on Friday the 13th.

Sophomore Dom Maloney relieved him at quarterback with 3:51 to play in the second quarter and the Ramblers continued to dominate. They controlled the football for the opening 8 minutes 35 seconds of the third quarter but failed to score during that span. They then forced the Rams to punt the ball to the Loyola 40, and MacPherson immediately broke away for a 60-yard touchdown run.

Defense stands tall

Except for one lapse when the Rams scored the last touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, the defense was outstanding.

The second touchdown was set up by Micky Maher’s interception and 31-yard return to the Loyola 47. The third came after John Baum jarred the ball loose from a receiver and Charlie Daly recovered the football at the home team’s 42, and Charlie Prior’s fumble recovery at the Rams’ 38 led to the fifth score.

After the recovery by Prior, Foster did the rest, carrying the six straight times and scoring the Ramblers’ fifth touchdown from a yard out.

“The offensive line opened up great holes for our backs,” Desherow emphasized. “(Offensive linemen) Joey Herbert, Declan Winger and Tyler Isaacson really stepped up.

“Drew MacPherson has a different gear when he gets in the open and Luke Foster executed very well. Luke is a heck of a back. He has great balance, he runs with power and he has very good vision.”

As a senior, it was one of the best games of Foster’s career. In 2022 Foster was a significant contributor when he was called up from the sophomore team because of injuries but a torn ACL sustained during summer practice caused him to miss all of his junior season.

“I worked so hard to come back from my injury and it felt so good to be out there today and helping us win,” Foster said. “Our offensive line executed and kept us on the field.”

Herbert reciprocated by praising the running backs. “Drew and Luke made us look good,” said the center, speaking for his fellow offensive linemen.

Zak Zeman kicked the first four extra points and fellow junior Timmy Miller made his varsity debut when he came in to kick the fifth.

Three other juniors were impressive. Linebacker Henry Newton made an interception late in the first half and running backs Owen Lamb and Sterling Hogue were effective on the ground when they entered the game in the closing minutes.

The lone touchdown for DePaul (4-1) came with 7:25 left on the clock on an 11-yard pass from Juju Rodriguez to Braden Peevy. Rodriguez collaborated with Justin Stermer on a 51-yard pass completion that was the big play in the 80-yard drive and the Rams’ only big play of the night.

The Ramblers will be back in Chicago on Friday night, traveling to St. Ignatius to try to replicate the compelling conquest at DePaul and take another resolute step on the road to a third straight IHSA Class 8A state championship.

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