St. Viator gets defensive, denies Deerfield
St. Viator's football team bounced back after losing a heartbreaker of a season opener at Rolling Meadows last week, handing Deerfield a 21-7 loss in the Lions' home opener Friday at Morris Field in Arlington Heights.
The Lions can thank their defensive tenacity at the line of scrimmage, as they allowed only 50 yards in the second half.
"(The loss to Rolling Meadows) was tough to swallow in our first game of the season," said St. Viator coach Brandon New. "You never know how teams are going to respond after a loss like that. I thought we started a little slow on offense but our defense capitalized on turnovers.
"The defensive coaches plan well and put the kids in a good position to make a play. It's great that the kids responded and followed the scheme. That's what it's all about."
St. Viator's defense held Deerfield to just 9 yards in the air, allowing only 4 first downs and recovering 3 fumbles.
Although the defensive unit was stellar, St. Viator displayed a couple weapons on the offensive side, too.
It was a tall task for Deerfield to wrestle down St. Viator three-year starting running back senior Joey McIntyre.
McIntyre forced the issue, bulldozing through the Warrior front lines and causing massive collisions.
The bruising running back registered 150 yards on 27 rushes.
"It's the workload I've had since I was in eighth grade," McIntyre said. "We have to improve on more stuff across the board, look out for each other and keep bringing high intensity for next week."
"Joey (McIntyre) reminds me of a Tasmanian devil," New said. "He's a strong kid with so much power, a great wrestler and a three-year starter who's a great leader."
St. Viator took a 7-0 lead before halftime after a 33-yard punt return by defensive back Darreonta Jackson presented a short field.
Lions junior quarterback Tom Majerus' first pass after the punt was deflected and landed in the hands of junior receiver Cole Kmet for 24 yards.
Majerus and Kmet connected on the very next play for a 10-yard touchdown and the Lions never looked back.
Kmet and Majerus linked up a second time for an 18-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The 6-foot-5 Kmet caught four passes for 2 touchdowns and 75 yards.
"It was definitely an intense practice with tension this week," Kmet said. "We had really good practices though and we came out with a W. The coaches know I have a size advantage and sometimes a speed advantage that we can use in games. This win give us confidence moving forward."
Majerus (11-of-24, 159 yards, 3 TD, 2 interceptions) also tossed a 32-yard bomb to senior Thomas Swiderski for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Deerfield's problems were not only on the offensive side where they had a slew of miscues. The Warriors racked up nine penalties for 95 yards in the first quarter alone.
Although Deerfield senior running back Johnny Fisher and senior quarterback Anthony Ranallo registered respectable rushing numbers (188 yards combined), Friday was just not the Warriors' day on offense.
Fisher also added a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown on his day.
St. Viator starts East Suburban Catholic Conference play against Marist next Friday.
"I told our players that the playoffs start next week," New said. "The gauntlet is coming. We have to figure out how to keep that mindset going for the next couple weeks."
"(We keep this momentum going) by knowing that we're going to win (against Marist)," McIntyre said. "We'll be prepared."