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30 | November 21, 2018 | The glenview lantern sports
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NORTH SHORE
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A 22ND CENTURY MEDIA PRODUCTION
EXCLUSIVE
ANALYSIS
AND INTERVIEWS
about your favorite high
school teams. Sports
editors Michal Dwojak
and Michael Wojtychiw
host the only North
Shore sports podcast.
Ramblers head to 4th
straight title game
Neil Milbert
Freelance Reporter
Forget about Loyola
Academy’s 33-point loss
at Brother Rice on Sept.
14.
The Ramblers have
given every indication that
they are ready, willing and
able to make amends for
that out-of-character defeat
and they’ll have the
opportunity on Saturday,
Nov. 24, when they clash
with the Crusaders in the
Class 8A state championship
game at Memorial
Stadium in Champaign.
Playing in the friendly
confines of Hoerster Field,
head coach John Holecek’s
team put on another compelling
postseason performance
on Nov. 17, toppling
the state’s top-ranked
team and defending 8A
champion Lincoln-Way
East 24-16 in a thrilling
semifinal showdown that
came down to the final
play.
With 4.4 seconds remaining,
Loyola linebacker
Mike Kadus deprived
Matt Judd of a touchdown
when he knocked the ball
out of the Griffin ace receiver’s
hands in the near
right corner of the end
zone. If Judd had been able
to catch the 15-yard pass
thrown by Jack Baltz, Lincoln-Way
East would have
had a chance to attempt a
two-point conversion that
could have sent the intense
struggle into overtime.
Instead Loyola (10-3)
avenged its 23-14 loss to
the Griffins in last year’s
8A state title game and
ended their winning streak
at 26 games to earn the
Loyola Academy quarterback Jack Fallon (10) dodges
a Lincoln-Way East player in the 8A semifinal game
Saturday, Nov. 17, in Wilmette. Scott Margolin/22nd
Century Media
Lincoln-Way East versus Loyola Academy
1 2 3 4 F
LWE 0 16 0 0 16
LA 7 10 0 7 24
Top Performers
1. Jack Burke, DB — Returned fumble for a touchdown
2. Jack Fallon, QB — 175 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 85
rushing yards
3. Michael Byrne, DB — 1 INT
right to play for the state
championship for the
fourth year in a row and
the fifth time in the last six
years.
“They were throwing
to No. 5 (Judd) the whole
game,” Kadus said. “He
was isolated and I turned
to Mike Byrne and said
‘Watch my back shoulder.’
Mike played over the top
coverage and I was underneath,
forcing him to
the sideline. It was all or
nothing. I went at him on
an angle and got my arm
in there (to prevent Judd
from holding onto the
football).”
While the resurgent
Ramblers were ambushing
the Griffins in the
other semifinal game, No.
2 Brother Rice was improving
its record to 13-0
by virtue of a 14-3 victory
over Marist (the team that
Loyola routed in a 2015
state championship mismatch).
This was the second
week in a row that the No.
19 Ramblers got even with
a hitherto high and mighty
opponent. The preceding
week in the quarterfinals,
they were decisive 17-0
winners over No. 6 Maine
South, the team that got
the best of them 27-17 in
the 2016 state championship
game.
And the week before
that Loyola knocked off
previously unbeaten and
Please see football, 25