Ramblers’ ‘D’ grounds Hawks
Maine South and Loyola, two of the state’s marquee programs, met in the first round of the Class 8A playoffs Saturday.
It wasn’t a game for the ages. The teams were scoreless for three quarters, with the Ramblers winning 14-6. The scoring and drama picked up in the fourth quarter but was stopped by long referee deliberations after the Hawks’ eventually unsuccessful two-point conversion (it was initially ruled good) and Loyola’s first touchdown.
“I kind of really want to watch it on film, but I don’t want to watch it on film,” Ramblers coach John Holecek said. “The refs have a difficult time.”
Three quarters of scoreless football in the cold was dull for the fans, but it’s another sign that Holecek has his defense ready for the playoffs. Loyola didn’t allow Maine South’s offense to score.
“Mostly we were in the right spots and tried to take away their best player,” Holecek said. “[Maine South’s Ryan Kilburg] did some damage, but he didn’t kill us. So that helped.”
The Ramblers played without running back Vaughn Pemberton, who is out with an injury. He’s the motor for the offense. There are indications he might miss another week, which would be a big problem. Loyola hosts Glenbard West in the second round.
Julian Schurr returns
It doesn’t take a lot of fancy stats to figure out how important running back Julian Schurr is to Notre Dame. The Dons are 8-0 with him and 0-2 without him.
The undersized Schurr, generously listed at 5-7, 160 pounds, missed the last two weeks of the regular season with an injury. He returned for Notre Dame’s 23-21 win against Barrington in the Class 8A playoffs Saturday.
Schurr’s teammates call him the “Pinball” for the way he bounces off defenders, but that doesn’t do justice for his speed.
“I’m sure when teams watch film, they see me making plays and assume it is because the defense messed up, that I’m not that good,” Schurr said after beating Montini in early October. “So every week it is my point to prove that what they see on film is the truth.”
Schurr and the Dons face the ultimate test in the second round.
They’ll be in Frankfort to face topranked Lincoln-Way East.
Public League pains
The CPS football teams managed to play their first-round playoff games, but they weren’t very successful. Simeon, Phillips and Kenwood won, and the other 17 teams lost.
Payton, which has now lost in the first round for nine consecutive years, has never won a playoff game. The Grizzlies came awfully close Saturday at Lane Stadium, holding the lead a few times before losing to Fenwick 21-17.