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Providence denies Cary-Grove Class 7A championship

CHAMPAIGN - Cary-Grove two-way lineman Michael Gomez, five of his teammates and coach Brad Seaburg listened with faraway stares as IHSA assistant executive director Matt Troha spent most of the elevator ride up to the eighth floor explaining how the ensuing press conference would work.

Once Troha completed his spiel, a pregnant pause filled the freight-sized elevator, giving Gomez - helmet still on - a couple of seconds to dwell on Cary-Grove's 31-28 loss to Providence in the Class 7A state championship game moments earlier.

"I hate Memorial Stadium," the 6-foot-4, 260-pound senior said matter-of-factly, breaking the silence.

Gomez's disdain for the 91-year old building is understandable. Saturday marked the second time in three seasons he and his teammates left Memorial Stadium with the state runner-up trophy, an impressive piece of hardware but not the one they sought.

"Becoming 0-2 at the state game, especially losing your senior year when you knew it was going to be a great year, is not what we wanted," Gomez said later. "A couple of plays here and there and the outcome is completely different. Hats off to Providence. They're a great team."

Cary-Grove (13-1) led 14-10 at halftime, but Providence (13-1) scored on its first 3 possessions of the second half and used its fourth to run out the clock, sealing the school's 10th state championship and its first under ninth-year coach Mark Coglianese.

Providence had to play perfect second-half football to defeat the Trojans, who scored on 4 of their 6 possessions overall, rushed for 296 yards and completed 3 of 4 passes for 49 yards.

"I have to give a ton of credit to Cary-Grove," Coglianese said. "Their offense was almost unstoppable. I told our guys at halftime if we can just get one stop - one stop - that's all we would need to get up a couple of scores."

After fielding a pooch kickoff by Cary-Grove to open the second half, the Celtics moved 59 yards in 11 plays to take a 17-14 lead. Sophomore running back Richie Warfield finished the drive with a 5-yard scoring run, but the key play was quarterback Justin Hunniford's 14-yard pass to 6-foot-5 Iowa-bound tight end Nick Vejvoda on fourth-and-2 from the Cary-Grove 28.

The Providence defense then got the stop Coglianese was looking for when linebacker Brendan O'Hara halted Kevin Hughes for a 2-yard gain on third-and-5 at the Providence 48.

After a Cary-Grove punt pinned the Celtics at their own 3, they embarked on an epic 13-play, 97-yard drive that ate 4:54 off the clock. Hunniford ignited it with a 38-yard pass to Notre Dame recruit Miles Boykin, and he later converted third-down passes to Vejvoda and Warfield to keep it chugging along. Warfield made it a 2-possession game with a 1-yard run on second-and-goal, and PJ Kowalkowski's kick gave Providence a 24-14 lead with 56 seconds left in the third quarter.

"They scored and we missed our chance," Seaburg said. "Then we were playing catch-up the rest of the game."

Their backs against the wall, the Trojans answered with a 13-play, 65-yard drive. Senior quarterback Jason Gregoire kept the march moving with an 8-yard run on fourth-and-4 from the Providence 21-yard line. A personal foul on the Celtics gave the Trojans a first down at the 6-yard line and Pennington scored on the next play. Sophomore Collin Walsh's kick trimmed the deficit to 24-21 with 7:17 remaining.

However, Warfield responded with the key play of the game. The sophomore running back broke through the line and scampered 44 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown that gave the Celtics a 31-21 lead with 6:05 to play.

"Just the thought that maybe one extra step would be the difference between a touchdown or a first down," Warfield said of the motivation behind his 128-yard, 4-touchdown performance. "All that could add up. It finally ended up being one step to a state championship."

Cary-Grove hardly threw in the towel. The Trojans answered with another touchdown, this one a 2-yard run by Pennington, who rushed for 180 yards and 2 scores in 39 attempts. The 91-yard, 15-play drive consumed 4:35.

That was as close as the Trojans could get. O'Hara recovered the onside kick with 1:30 to play, and Warfield picked up a first down with a 14-yard run to allow the Celtics to run out the clock.

'I'm proud of how we fought to the end, but just making it here wasn't the goal so we're disappointed," said Cary-Grove tackle Trevor Ruhland, who will play his next football game for Notre Dame. "But I'm sure in a couple of days here we're going to look back and be happy with how we played this season and proving everybody wrong that the triple option can work. Making it here was a really fun ride."

Ruhland's coach echoed that sentiment.

"This was my first group that I had come in under me as head coach, so I got to see these guys grow from freshmen into young men," Seaburg said. "I'm just proud. I'm proud of all these guys. It's just a great group of guys. They're the first ones I'd like to be put in a foxhole with because they battle and they're tough. What else can you ask for as a coach?"

Images: Cary-Grove vs. Providence Catholic for the Class 7A state football championship

  Cary-Grove's Tyler Pennington (39) breaks a tackle for a nice gain in the second quarter during the Class 7A championship game. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove fans cheer during first half action against Providence Catholic during Saturday's IHSA Class 7A championship game in Champaign. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove's Michael Gomez (67) walks off the field while Providence Catholic players celebrate the final ticks of the clock during Saturday's IHSA Class 7A championship game in Champaign. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove's Jason Gregoire (12) and Travis Myerson (31) console each other as they leave the field following Saturday's Class 7A championship-game loss to Providence Catholic in Champaign. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove's Jason Gregoire (12) breaks free up the middle for a touchdown during Saturday's IHSA Class 7A championship game in Champaign. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
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