MK_091919

38 | September 19, 2019 | the mokena messenger sports
mokenamessengerdaily.com
Conway, Celtics knock off 2018 state runner-up Brother Rice
5
STEVE MILLAR, Sports Editor
Last year, injured Providence
quarterback Kevin
Conway had to sit on the
bench and watch the Celtics
offense get completely
dominated by Brother Rice
in a shutout loss.
On Friday, Sept. 13,
Conway and the Celtics
got their vengeance.
Conway, a Mokena resident,
ran for three touchdowns
and threw for another,
and a playmaking
Providence defense came
up with four interceptions
as the Celtics topped the
Crusaders 34-22 in a Catholic
League/ESCC crossover
on the road in Mount
Greenwood.
“It felt amazing,” Conway
said. “We knew we
could do it. We just had
to execute. We knew we
could put points up on
the board and we did.
We knew we were both
great teams and whoever
played the best game
would win.”
It was another statement
win away from home for
the Celtics (3-0), who now
have a pair of road victories
against teams that recorded
double-digit wins
last season, adding to the
season-opening defeat of
Willowbrook.
Brother Rice (2-1) was
the 2018 Class 8A state
runner-up, went 13-1 and
beat Providence 20-0.
“The first two games
were tough ones, but nothing
compared to this one,”
defensive back Ryan Manikowski
said. “We knew
this game would prepare
us for the rest of the season.
We played our hearts
out and we came out with
the win.”
Manikowski, a senior
from New Lenox, came
Providence at Brother Rice, Sept. 13
1 2 3 4 F
Providence 0 14 13 7 34
Brother Rice 2 7 7 6 22
Three Stars of the Game
1. Kevin Conway, Providence, junior quarterback --- three
rushing touchdowns; 12-of-22 passing, 181 yards,
touchdown
2. Ryan Manikowski, Providence, senior defensive back –-
two interceptions
3. Kevin Countryman, Providence, senior defensive back –
interception return for touchdown
up with two interceptions,
including the game-sealer
with under two minutes to
play.
“I’m not going to lie,
that’s my least favorite
catch to make, over the
shoulder like that,” he
said. “I was just thinking,
‘Please don’t drop this.’ It
was kind of like it was in
slow motion, it was nerve
wracking. I came down
with it and it was awesome.”
Providence’s offense
was sluggish at times over
the first two weeks, and
overly reliant on running
back Aaron Vaughn.
Conway, though, had
his breakout game against
the Crusaders. The junior
finished 12-of-22 passing
for 181 yards and a touchdown.
Because of sacks, he
finished with just 28 yards
rushing on 15 attempts,
but he made several big
plays with his feet, including
a 21-yard touchdown
run that gave the Celtics a
27-16 lead with 1:04 left in
the third quarter.
“I had to bring it to the
legs,” Conway said. “It
was there. Their pass coverage
was pretty good. I
know any big play can
happen any moment. You
just have to be ready.”
Conway also delivered
the game’s most important
play when he scored on a
1-yard run on fourth-andgoal
to make it a two-score
game at 34-22 with 7:08
left.
“Kevin certainly came
out ready,” Providence
coach Mark Coglianese
said. “He’s been under a lot
of pressure. He made great
decisions, knew when to
run the ball, made good
throws. I think offensively
we did a good job mixing
it up and keeping them off
balance. We finally got in
a groove.”
It did not start that way,
though.
Providence began the
first drive of the night on
its own 11 and got backed
up to the 4 after a rush for
a loss and a penalty. Then,
Brother Rice’s Alex Roche
sacked Conway in the end
zone for a safety.
The Celtics, though,
shook off the shaky start.
“Bad field position,
penalty right away, it’s all
about short-term memory,”
Conway said. “You
just have to forget about
what happened. I don’t
think the safety fazed us.”
Conway scored on a
5-yard run and hit Lucas
Porto for a 9-yard touchdown
pass to give the Celtics
a 14-2 lead.
After the Crusaders
Providence defensive lineman Ben Seeber celebrates one of his three sacks
in the Celtics’ 34-22 win over Brother Rice on Friday, Sept. 13. Photos by Chip
DeLorenzo/22nd Century Media
pulled within 14-9 at halftime,
Providence’s Kevin
Countryman picked
off a Ben Somers pass
around the Rice 10-yard
line and returned it for a
touchdown early in the
third.
“I saw the quarterback’s
eyes, read it right away,
jumped it and took it to the
SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN BLUE
Team, Conf. Record, Overall
Bolingbrook 0-0 3-0
H-F 0-0 3-0
LW East 0-0 3-0
Lockport 0-0 1-2
Sandburg 0-0 1-2
SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN RED
Team, Conf. Record, Overall
LW West 0-0 2-1
Andrew 0-0 2-1
Bradley-Bourb. 0-0 1-2
LW Central 0-0 1-2
Stagg 0-0 1-2
house,” Countryman said.
“It’s awesome.”
Frankfort resident Dakota
Straight also had an
interception for the Celtics,
while Mokena’s Ben
Seeber had three sacks and
New Lenox’s Elias Valdez
added another sack.
Vaughn finished with
113 yards on 29 carries.
“We showed that we’re
here, that we have a great
defense and we’re not just
some kids that make mistakes,
went 5-4 last year
and got shut out by Washington
in the playoffs,
Countryman said.
“We’re a team that plays
hard, has a lot of heart and
goes all out.”
AREA FOOTBALL STANDINGS
SOUTH SUBURBAN BLUE
Team, Conf. Record, Overall
Bremen 1-0 3-0
Lemont 1-0 2-1
Tinley Park 1-0 1-2
Hillcrest 0-0 2-1
TF South 0-1 2-1
TF North 0-1 1-2
Oak Forest 0-1 0-3
CCL/ESCC GREEN
Team, Conf. Record, Overall
Providence 0-0 3-0
Notre Dame 0-0 3-0
Montini 0-0 2-1
St. Rita 0-0 1-2