Week 7 Football Preview

 

LOYOLA RAMBLERS (4-2) vs. BENET REDWINGS (6-0) 

1:30 p.m, Saturday, October 12 at Hoerster Field

 

 

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Twitter: @LAGoRamblers

 

 

 

Head Coach: John Holecek, 14th season (146-30)

Captains: Luke Desherow, sr., Christo Kelly, sr., Matthew Mangan, sr., Jack Nimesheim, sr.

Conference: Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference Blue

2018: 11-3, 2-2 Chicago Catholic Blue, Class 8A State Champions

 

 

Head Coach: Patrick New, 10th season (62-37)

Conference: Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference Orange

2018: 6-4, 4-3 East Suburban Catholic Conference, Lost in first round of Class 7A playoffs

 

 

 

L St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 27-10

W New Trier 34-3

W St. Rita 24-7

L Mount Carmel 17-14

W St. Ignatius 58-6

W Brother Rice 35-14

October 12 vs. BENET, 1:30 p.m.

October 18 at Marian Central, 7 p.m.

October 26 vs. Marist, 1 p.m.

 

 

W Naperville North 28-21

W Moline 28-19

W Saint Ignatius 35-6

W De La Salle 35-7

W Marian Catholic 38-15

W St. Laurence 21-17

October 12 at LOYOLA, 1:30 p.m.

October 18 at St. Rita, 7:30 p.m.

October 26 vs. Nazareth, 1 p.m.

 

 

(conference, overall)

 

Mount Carmel 2-0, 6-0

Loyola 1-1, 4-2

Brother Rice 1-1, 4-2

Marist 0-2, 3-3

 

 

Notre Dame 2-0, 6-0

Montini 1-1, 4-2

St. Rita 1-1, 3-3

Providence0-2, 4-2

 

 

Benet 2-0, 6-0

Nazareth 2-0, 5-1

De La Salle 0-2, 3-3

St. Laurence 0-2, 3-3

 

 

St. Viator 2-0, 4-2

Marian Central 1-1, 4-2

St. Patrick 1-1, 2-4

Carmel 0-2, 1-5

 

 

Marian Catholic 2-0, 4-2

Leo 2-0, 3-3

DePaul Prep 0-2, 2-4

St. Joseph 0-2, 1-5

 

 

Joliet Catholic 2-0, 3-3

Marmion 1-1, 4-2

Fenwick 1-1, 3-3

St. Ignatius 0-2, 2-4

 

 

 

Aidan Brownlee Jr WR

 

The speedy playmaker got his most action on offense against Brother Rice, finishing with a season highs in receptions (4) and receiving yards (70). Brownlee’s 50-yard TD catch — his first of the season — from junior quarterback JT Thomas with 5:17 to go in the second gave the Ramblers a 21-14 lead. He has 13 catches for 157 yards. 

 

Christo Kelly Sr OL

 

The 6-3, 275-pound Kelly is a captain and anchor of a line that is finding its groove. Behind Kelly, senior Peter Gianaris, James Kennedy, junior Conor Clyde and junior Cooper Tamisiea, Loyola totaled a season-best 303 rushing yards Saturday. The Ramblers have run for 602 yards the past two games, averaging 9.3 yards per attempt, and scored 10 rushing touchdowns. 

 

Matthew Moran Jr WR, Jalen Williams Jr RB

 

Both contribute behind the scenes as members of the scout team. Senior captain and safety Jack Nimesheim said Moran and Williams are key in helping the defensive starters prepare for each upcoming opponent. 

 

Vaughn Pemberton Jr RB

 

Another impressive performance for the varsity rookie. Pemberton’s 25 carries for 195 yards and four rushing TDs all three are career bests. What’s more, he had three receptions for 30 yards. In five games — he missed Week 2 against New Trier — Pemberton has 544 rushing yards, averaging 8.1 yards per attempt, and 10 rushing TDs. 

 

Frank Schurer Sr LB

 

The defense got a big boost Saturday with the return of Schurer, a preseason starting outside linebacker who missed three games due to illness. He had seven tackles against Brother Rice and now has 26 for the season, including two for loss. 

 

 

Colin Gillespie Sr QB

 

A three-year starter, Gillespie threw the game-winning touchdown in last week’s come-from-behind win against St. Laurence. He also scored a rushing TD. 

 

Jacob Snell Sr DL/TE

 

The 6-4, 245-pounder is a three-year starter and verbally committed to Miami (Ohio) as a defensive lineman. Snell also plays tight end and caught a TD pass in Week 5. 

 

Sean Torres SR LB/RB

 

A standout on both sides of the ball, Torres scored a rushing TD and made a tackle on fourth down in the second half to force a turnover. 

 

 

This is the first meeting between the two teams.

 

 

2 — Seasons in which the Ramblers have lost consecutive games under Loyola Head Coach John Holecek. They lost two in a row last year and three in a row in 2006. 

 

3 — Since surrendering three touchdowns and 20 points in the second half of its Week 1 loss to Saint Ignatius (Ohio), Loyola has allowed three points in the third and fourth quarters.

 

4-0 — The Ramblers record against ESCC teams since 2006. They beat Marist 30-10 on the road in the Class 8A quarterfinals in 2017. Loyola beat the RedHawks 41-0 at Northern Illinois University’s Huskie Stadium to capture the Class 8A State Championship in 2015. The Ramblers also also wins over Notre Dame and St. Patrick. Both of those games were in the Class 8A playoffs. 

 

5 — Touchdowns of 50 or more yards this season by the Ramblers after junior running back Vaughn Pemberton scored on a 55-yard run and senior receiver Aidan Brownlee scored on a 50-yard pass from junior quarterback JT Thomas on Saturday. Pemberton has the longest run at 98 yards, while senior receiver Matty Mangan owns the longest catch at 71 yards. 

 

24 — First downs, including 19 on the ground, for the Ramblers against Brother Rice. They controlled the tempo, holding the ball for 30 minutes, 39 seconds, assisted by going 6-for-10 on third downs and 1-for-1 on fourth down.

 

 

Senior Jack Nimesheim is one of four captains for the Ramblers. After playing running back and linebacker in grammar school at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview, Nimesheim moved to the defensive backfield after arriving on Loyola’s campus. He’s part of a unit that’s allowed only six touchdowns in the last five games. Nimesheim has 32 tackles and two pass break-ups for the season. 

 

You’re one of 11 new starters on the defense, which seems to improve every week. Is that true? 

 

NIMESHEIM: I think so. We have the best coaches in the state by far, starting with [Head Coach John] Holecek. My position coach [Pete Devine] does a fantastic job and always has us in the right spots. We are becoming closer every day. We have each other’s back. 

 

What do you like most about being a strong safety? 

 

NIMESHEIM: Definitely the chance to get big hits. I love playing physical. 

 

As a junior, you backed up one of the best safeties to play for the Ramblers in Jake Gonzalez (‘19). What did you learn from him? 

 

NIMESHEIM: He and Nick Pomey (‘19) were such great leaders. They brought a business-like mentality to the game that I’ve tried to put into practice as a captain. 

 

How would you rate your play so far this season? 

 

NIMESHEIM: People tell me I’m my own worst critic. But if I step back and take a look, I believe I’m fundamentally sound and do my best to execute my job on every play. I’m always trying to improve by watching film and correcting the mistakes I’ve made. You can always get better. 

 

 

While the game was tied midway through the second quarter, the Ramblers scored 21 unanswered points to earn a convincing win over Brother Rice in a rematch of last year’s Class 8A state final. The victory allowed the Ramblers remain in the hunt for at least a share of the CCL/ESCC Blue conference championship. Mount Carmel is undefeated and in the driver’s seat after its 21-14 win over Marist. Loyola is one win away from becoming eligible for the IHSA postseason. The Ramblers have qualified for the state playoffs 16 years in a row. ... This is Loyola’s first game against an ESCC team since the league joined up with the CCL for the 2019 season. The Ramblers close out the regular season with two more ESCC teams in Marian Central and Marist. ... Generally, Loyola teams are dominated by seniors. To be sure, many of the most valuable players are seniors. But the Ramblers are blessed with a talented and deep junior class. Two of them enjoyed exceptional afternoons Saturday. In addition to running back Vaughn Pemberton’s career-best day, JT Thomas showed significant progress in his second start at quarterback. He went 12-for-19 for 156 yards and one TD. “He’s still new, but he’s poised,” Loyola Head Coach John Holecek said. “Everything is going to slow down for him. He’s managing the game well, and we are expecting him to get better.” Thomas credited Pemberton and the line for making his job easier. The offense compiled 459 yards and averaged 7.5 yards per play. “He runs so hard,” Thomas said. “When you have a skilled offensive line and a skilled back like him, it’s absolutely lethal. Vaughn changes the game because he opens up so many other things for us. He’s running over people, running away from people and running through people.” ... Benet is in the IHSA playoffs for the eighth year in a row following Friday’s 21-17 win over St. Laurence on the road. The Redwings advanced to the Class 7A semifinals in 2017 and 2016 as well as in 2012. It’s probably a good thing they secured their sixth win because Saturday starts the toughest stretch of their schedule. Following Loyola, the Redwings close out the regular season against St. Rita and Nazareth. Benet Head Coach Pat New told Daily Herald prior to the season that he was looking forward to the merger between the CCL and ESCC, with one caveat. “It’ll be fun playing new teams,” he said. “I don’t know if I should use ‘fun’ when we’re playing Loyola, but it’ll be interesting.”

 

 

“We are rolling, but every week we’ve got to be focused on the next opponent. Benet is next. They are coming in with their heads held high, and we know they are going to give us their best shot. We have to expect everyone’s best game.” — Loyola senior offensive lineman Christo Kelly