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newlenoxpatriot.com Sports
the New Lenox Patriot | October 12, 2017 | 47
fastbreak
Football
Team effort leads to Celtics’ shutout against Friars
James Sanchez/22nd Century
Media
1st-and-3
Peaking at the right
time
1. Bri Bolden (above)
Bolden has won the
regional championship
every year at
Central, thus far. The
rainy, wet conditions
seemingly didn’t
bother her Oct. 4, as
she shot a winning
round of 75 (3-over).
2. Ryan Nolan
Nolan’s last postseason
with the team
started with abang.
The Knights’ No. 4
golfer led the way
with a 75 (3-over) to
help the team advance
to sectionals.
3. The 78 club
Brian Sterling, E.J.
Charles and Sean
Curran all shot 78 in
the regional. Their
consistency helped
the Knights edge out
the Griffins for thirdplace.
Provi becomes
playoff eligible a
year after missing
postseason
Jon DePaolis
Freelance Reporter
“All week, we believed in our O-line. We knew their
D-line was going to be big. We knew our O-line was
big. I trusted them to do their jobs, and they did.”
De’ Shon Gavin – Providence running back, on crediting his offensive line
against a stout Fenwick front seven
On a rainy night in New
Lenox Friday, Oct. 6, the
Providence Catholic football
team looked like a team firing
on all cylinders heading
into the final weeks of the
regular season.
The Celtics dominated in
all three phases, crushing Fenwick
37-0 in Week 7 action.
Leading the way was senior
running back De’Shon
Gavin, who gained 135 yards
on the ground on 15 carries,
and two touchdowns. Senior
quarterback Caden Kalinowski
went 4-of-10 passing
for 87 total yards, and added
67 total yards on the ground
on four rushes.
The game started with a
strong defensive stand by the
Celtics. On a third-and-2 at
the Friars’ 20-yard line, Celtics
defensive linemen Dylan
Davalos and Peter Spesia
burst through the Fenwick
offensive line and tackled
the quarterback for a sack.
The play was a 7-yard loss,
forcing the Friars to punt.
Providence senior Tony
Alejo, listed at 5-foot-5 on
the roster, received the punt
at the Celtics 45, found a
seam on the edge and turned
on the jets to burn by the defenders
to take it to the house
for a 55-yard touchdown not
even three minutes into the
contest. The Celtics missed
the extra point, but the team
was riding high after the play.
“It was a total team effort
all the way around, starting
with that punt return by Alejo,”
Providence coach Mark
Coglianese said. “That kind
of got us going. It’s huge.
He’s only 5-foot-whatever,
so he’s kind of a favorite on
the team. To see him have
some success like that and
get the team going, that got
everyone excited.”
The Celtics defense forced
a three-and-out on the next
series, and the offense took
over at the Fenwick 48. After
the drive stalled in the red
zone, Eduardo Favela booted
a 25-yard field goal with
3:45 left in the opening quarter
to make it 9-0 Celtics.
Early in the second quarter,
a 39-yard passing play
from Kalinowski to Gavin
set up the Celtics with a first
down at the Friars’ 16. They
followed with a handoff to
Gavin, who took it the distance
along the right edge
for the score to make it 16-0.
Later in the quarter, on a
second-and-9 from the 50,
Kalinowski faked a handoff
and burst up the middle and
by the defense for a 50-yard
score to make it 23-0.
On the next series for the
Friars, a passing play was
intercepted by senior linebacker
Logan Anderson at
around the Friars’ 45, and he
returned it to the 19. After
four running plays in a row,
the Celtics had the ball at the
Friars’ 2. They gave the ball
to senior running back Jake
Magurany (17 rushes, 83
total yards), who plowed up
the gut for the 2-yard score
to make it 30-0 with 52.5
seconds left in the first half.
A sack by Davalos closed
out the crushing first half by
the Celtics defense.
“I just timed up the snaps,”
Davalos said of the first-half
performance. “I knew they
double-teamed the edges a
lot. So, when I was able to
get that single-team, I knew
the weakness and I hit it. I
was able to get through. I
know when I timed up [one
of the snaps], he wasn’t
ready for it. That one-step
drop that the quarterback
took really hurt them.”
Providence got the ball to
start the second half, and after
two runs set them up with
a first down at the Friars’ 48,
the Celtics once again gave
the ball to Gavin. He found
the right sideline on the play
and took it 48 yards for the
score to cap the game’s scoring
at 37-0 just 57 seconds
into the second half.
Gavin credited the effort
of the offensive line for his
big game.
“I believed in my O-line,”
he said. “All week, we believed
in our O-line. We
knew their D line was going
to be big. We knew our O line
was big. I trusted them to do
their jobs, and they did.”
As for the long, 48-yard
run?
“Just keep moving my
feet, keep driving — knowing
that at any given moment,
they might miss a
tackle and I might break
free,” he said. “I just got to
keep moving.”
The Providence defense
kept the door shut the entire
game, registering the shutout.
It also kept Friars running
back Jason Ivery to just
10 yards on 11 rushes, while
only giving up 51 total passing
yards.
“I think it all starts up
front,” Coglianese said of
his defense. “They certainly
couldn’t run the ball on us.”
The Celtics coach also
gave praise to his offensive
line for winning in the
trenches to allow the team to
gain 326 total yards on the
ground, as well as 87 total
yards through the air.
“That’s got to be our bread
and butter, and it was,” he
said of his offensive line.
“Our O line does a great job.
And our backs don’t need
a whole lot of room, especially
De’Shon. He’ll get us
tough yards also.”
Now, the focus shifts to
Week 8, as the Celtics (5-2)
play host to perennial powerhouse
Loyola Academy at
Bishop Kaffer Stadium Friday,
Oct. 13. After the win
over the Friars, the Celtics
certainly seemed up for the
challenge.
“We’re ready for what
comes next,” Davalos said.
“We’re ready for Loyola.
I’m ready for Loyola.”
“Last year, [Fenwick]
kind of put us out of the
playoff picture,” Gavin said.
“To come back and give it to
them, knowing we are headed
to the playoffs, makes
the rest of the games a little
easier. But that drives us and
motivates to get into that
conference championship
game.
“Next week, I want more.”
LISTEN UP
“I try not to think about it too much. It’s kind of
there, but I want to play my own game. Golf is
golf.”
Grace Curran – Lincoln-Way Central golfer, on her mindset going into
this year’s postseason as the defending state champion
TUNE IN
Boys Golf
8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14
• Lincoln-Way Central will host the Autumn Knights
Tournament, which includes crosstown rivals Lincoln-
Way West.
INDEX
40– This Week In
40– Athlete of the Week
FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor James Sanchez,
james@newlenoxpatriot.com.