Week 12 Football Preview

 

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: Ron Dawczak, 3rd season (22-3)

Conference: Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference Blue

2018: 11-2, 7-0 East Suburban Catholic Conference, Lost in Class 8A semifinals

 

 

 

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

W Benet 46-14

W Marian Central 52-0

L Marist 14-6

W Maine South 14-6

W Glenbard West 28-7

 

 

W Dunbar 42-0

W Lake Zurich 24-17

L Notre Dame 21-14

L Brother Rice 17-14

W Fenwick 35-17

L Mount Carmel 21-14

L Nazareth 39-29

W St. Patrick 31-6

W Loyola 14-6

W Glenbard East 49-7

W Huntley 14-7

 

 

 

Aidan Brownlee Jr WR

 

A dynamic and explosive playmaker, Brownlee excels when he gets the ball with room to run. His 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half Saturday sparked the Ramblers to the 28-27 win over Glenbard West. Brownlee also had two receptions for 38 yards, including one for 30 yards. 

 

Braden Mullen Jr LB

 

After playing on the offensive line his first two years at Loyola, the 6-3, 195-pound Mullen has been an invaluable member of the linebacking unit this season. He’s started at outside linebacker the last two games with junior Liam Conaghan sidelined since the end of the regular season with an injury. Mullen, who has five tackles for loss and three pass break-ups, also filled in when senior Frank Schurer and junior Dan Naselli were out. 

 

Jack Nimesheim Sr DB

 

In the Ramblers’ biggest game of the season, the safety and captain finished with a team-best 16 tackles, including one for loss. Nimesheim’s 68 tackles are second on the team, and he also has three pass break-ups. 

 

Vaughn Pemberton Jr RB

 

After missing the playoff opener with an injury, Pemberton bounced back to carry the Ramblers to the Class 8A quarterfinals. He ran a season-high 32 times for 131 yards and two TDs. He’s first on the team in attempts (118), yards (816) and TDs (14). 

 

Mike Williams So DL

 

A rarity for the Ramblers, the underclass Williams has started since Week 1. For the season, the 5-11, 220-pounder has compiled 39 tackles, including two for loss, seven quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries. 

 

Nate Van Zelst Jr K

 

Saturday was another example why Van Zelst and special teams are so important this time of year. Van Zelst converted all four extra points in the 28-27 win over Glenbard West. The Hilltoppers also scored four TDs, but they missed the point after following their third score. Van Zelst was 2-for-2 on PATs in the playoff opener. 

 

 

Colin Bohanek Sr LB

 

Headliner of the defense and a team captain, the 6-foot, 210-pounder is first in total tackles and tackles for loss. In Marist’s win over Huntley, Bohanek had 13 tackles, including four for loss. 

 

AJ Markett Sr WR

 

The RedHawks get the ball to Markett any way they can. One of the team’s top offensive players and a captain, he has 71 touches for 688 yards and six TDs. On Saturday, Markett caught four passes for 73 yards and ran twice for 36 yards. 

 

Hayden Mikesell Sr QB

 

A captain and load at 6-4 and 203 pounds, Mikesell uses both his arm and legs to lead the offense. He’s passed for 722 yards and eight TDs and run for 428 yards and six TDs. In Saturday’s 14-7 win over Huntley, Mikesell accounted for both TDs.  

 

Amari Watkins Sr RB

 

The team’s top rusher, Watkins has 1,044 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per attempt, and 12 TDs. Against Loyola, he ran 22 times for 134 yards and scored an 80-yard TD. 

 

 

2019 — Marist 14, Ramblers 6 

2017 — Ramblers 30, Marist 10 (Class 8A state quarterfinals)

2015 — Ramblers 41, Marist 0 (Class 8A state final)

 

 

0 — Touchdowns for the Ramblers in their 14-6 loss to Marist in the final game of the regular season. The last time Loyola was shut out of the end zone was in Week 4 of the 2018 season when the Ramblers lost to Brother Rice 35-3. 

 

4 — Teams in the Class 8A quarterfinals the Ramblers have played in a Class 8A state final. Loyola lost to Bolingbrook in 2011, beat Marist in 2015, lost to Lincoln-Way East in 2017 and beat Brother Rice in 2018. 

 

5 — Teams Marist has played still alive in the postseason. The RedHawks had one of the most difficult schedules in the state. Nine of their opponents made the playoffs, eight of which won at least one game. The combined record of Marist’s opponents is 85-31. Of the 10 Illinois teams Loyola has faced, nine qualified for the playoffs, four of which still are playing. 

 

26 — Total points allowed by Marist in its last four games. No team has scored more than seven points during the RedHawks’ four-game winning streak. 

 

91 — Rushing yards for Loyola junior running back Vaughn Pemberton on 21 carries in the second half Saturday. His 1-yard touchdown run at the 3:10 mark of the fourth quarter, coupled with junior Nate Van Zelst’s extra point, proved to be the game-winner. The Ramblers later ran out the clock with Pemberton taking five snaps in a row from under center. 

 

 

A second-year varsity player, junior Aidan Brownlee is a difference-maker for the Ramblers in his first season as a major contributor. The 5-8, 170-pound speedster plays receiver and returns kickoffs and punts, and he showcased his talents in Saturday’s 28-27 win over Glenbard West. Brownlee opened the third quarter with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, his first of the season, to set the tone for Loyola’s comeback victory. After not being featured on offense early in the season, Brownlee experienced a breakout game in Week 6 when he caught four passes for 70 yards and one TD in a 35-14 win over Brother Rice. Two games later, he had four receptions for 63 yards and two TDs to help the Ramblers to a 52-0 victory against Marian Central. Brownlee, a graduate of Glenview’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help, is the youngest of two boys. Alec Brownlee ’18 played football for Loyola and is a sophomore receiver at Middlebury. 

 

Trailing by seven points at halftime to Glenbard West, you tied the game in a matter of seconds with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the third quarter. Describe how it happened? 

 

BROWNLEE: It was crazy. I’d almost broken one a lot of times this year. [Loyola assistant coach Tim Feldheim] told us at halftime we were going to run one back. I caught the ball on the left side of the side, and it was a middle return. Once I got past the wedge and to the 30- or 40-yard line, I was free. I saw the kicker around the 50 and knew I had to beat him. Once I got to the 30, I knew I was going to score. It wasn’t just me. Everybody did their job.

 

You’ve caught at least two passes and a total of 20 in the last six games. All three of your TD receptions have been since then. What changed?

 

BROWNLEE: I don’t know. It was a slow start, but I’m a team player. The coaches then tried to get me the ball more, and I got into a flow.  

 

Your 40-yard dash time on Hudl’s website is 4.65 seconds, which is elite-level speed. Who’s in the race among your teammates that puts people in the seats? 

 

BROWNLEE: [Senior Trevor] Cabanban, [sophomore] Marco [Maldonado], [junior] Artis [Benjamin], [junior] Perrion [McClinton].

 

As a sophomore, you earned a championship ring. Your brother, Alec, was a senior on the team that lost in the Class 8A state final. Do the two of you stay in touch during football season? 

 

BROWN LEE: We’re usually in contact with each other through texts before games. He’s supportive of me and tells me to be myself. Sometimes, I let what other people say bother me. When that happens, I remember his advice and do my best to not let it get to me.

 

Veteran’s Day was Monday. Your dad, Alfred Brownlee, is an active member of the Army. How has his career choice influenced you? 

 

BROWN LEE: He’s made me tough. I know everything isn’t as easy as it seems. He could be fighting for his life one day. I try to live each day like it’s my last. 

 

 

The Ramblers rallied for their second postseason win in a row after trailing in only one playoff game last season. The victory earned Loyola its fifth consecutive trip to the Class 8A state quarterfinals. The Ramblers have played in the last four state finals, capturing the Class 8A State Championship in 2015 and 2018. ... This is the third meeting between the Ramblers and Marist in the Class 8A postseason since 2015. ... In his 14 years as head coach at Loyola, John Holecek never has lost to the same team twice in the same season. The RedHawks beat the Ramblers 14-6 in Week 9. Marist, which faced a difficult schedule, needed the win to make the playoffs. “I thought we were too confident in ourselves the first time,” Loyola senior safety and captain Jack Nimesheim said. “They had that underdog mentality and were ready to go, and we came out flat. We will be more prepared.” ... The Ramblers and RedHawks are two of eight CCL/ESCC teams remaining in the four largest classes. The conference has at least one team in each of the four classes. Class 7A representatives Mount Carmel (11-0) and Nazareth (11-0) are two of eight undefeated teams. ... Loyola senior receiver and captain Matty Mangan has caught one touchdown in each of the team’s two playoff games. His 5-yard score cut the deficit to six points, 27-21, with 11:06 left in the fourth quarter. Junior defensive back Marty Auer set up the TD with his fourth interception of the season and second in two weeks. Nimesheim admitted he was nervous when the Ramblers trailed by 14 in the first half and then by 13 midway through the third quarter before Mangan’s TD made it a one-score game. “But we never believed we were out of it,” he said. ... Loyola defensive back Daniel O’Flaherty was one of 87 seniors inducted into the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society. Criteria for selection is based on character, leadership, scholarship and service. A product of Chicago’s St. Juliana, O’Flaherty is second on the team with two interceptions. “Great to see,” Nimesheim said. “He’s super well-rounded. It speaks to our football program. We not only work to be successful on the field, but in other aspects of our lives. That’s something I take pride in.” ... In the 14-6 win over the Ramblers in the rain at Hoerster Field, Marist controlled the game by running the ball. The RedHawks totaled 260 yards on the ground, averaging 7.6 yards per attempt. Senior quarterback Hayden Mikesell threw only five passes, but he had nine carries for 113 yards and scored on a 33-yard run. ... Loyola President Rev. Patrick E. McGrath is a 1984 graduate of Marist and played golf for the RedHawks.  

 

 

“No one can stop us. We’re just going to come in and fight every single game. We just got to keep rambling on. We’ve got more to do.” — Loyola junior running back Vaughn Pemberton