IC Catholic Prep, Rowell run by St. Edward
After a strange week that left St. Edward and IC Catholic Prep wondering where exactly they would be playing football Friday night, it couldn't have ended nice, clean and neat.
Oh no. The teams weathered a 90-minute lightning delay at the start of their Metro Suburban crossover game that was ultimately played at Plunkett Park in Elmhurst. The contest was originally scheduled for Greg True Field in Elgin, but shifted due to field damage done earlier this month, a situation that made national headlines.
When the game finally did get going, ICCP running back Jordan Rowell was ready, and boy, did he put on a show.
The junior put up PlayStation-like numbers, rushing for 253 yards on 11 carries and scoring 3 touchdowns, en route to a 41-6 Knights' victory. He also added 38 yards receiving on 3 catches and stopped a Green Wave drive early in the second half with an interception. All told, he had 291 of ICCP's 391 total yards.
Afterward, Rowell brushed off praise, preferring to credit his offensive line, anchored by senior Jeremy Anicella, senior Jesus Unzueta, junior Jim Kenneally and senior Jack Lamborn.
"The biggest difference, I think, was our line - we came out ready," he said. "We were so ready to play St. Ed's, and the rain delay, the anticipation was killing us. We were just like, it doesn't matter. It's St. Ed's, it's under the new lights, let's go kick some butt. The line was pushing hard, and all we had to do is find the holes and take it."
"Jordan Rowell is a special player - he's always done that for us," said ICCP coach Bill Krefft, whose team improved 3-1. "But the greatest attribute of Jordan Rowell is how he is as a teammate. He is supportive, he's always about the team. He is the best football player I have ever seen."
On Rowell's second carry of the evening, at the 9:27 mark of the first quarter, he accepted the ball on a draw play and raced down the St. Edward sideline to the end zone, outpacing 4 Green Wave defenders.
Later, with his team up 14-0, Rowell got the ball on a first-and-10 at the St. Edward 29. He swept right and dashed into the right corner of the end zone with 11:41 remaining in the first half, to give the Knights a 20-0 lead, with a failed extra point.
But there was more to come. With 2:28 left in the half, Rowell once again took the ball on a draw play, swept right and ran away from two defenders into the right corner of the end zone. After the extra point, ICCP was suddenly up 27-0.
And if that weren't enough, with his team up 34-0 at the start of the second half, he picked off Green Wave starting quarterback Dylan Mlinarich at the Knights' 20-yard line and returned it back to the St. Edward 39. However, an illegal blocking penalty brought most of that return back.
It wasn't all Rowell for the Knights. Sophomore quarterback Luke Ricobene completed 7 of 15 passes for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns - a 20-yarder to Luke Calles in the first quarter, and 40-yarder to Calles late in the second. Kenneally also fell on fumble in the St. Edward end zone with 7:45 left in the third quarter.
"Small things just compiled, and I think it's all a credit to our kids," Krefft said. "They just kept building on the things they were doing well. It was a great job."
It was a tough night for the Green Wave, to be sure, especially since speedy running back and cornerback Dwayne Allen was unavailable due to an ankle injury. But the slack was picked up by Caleb Elam, who rushed for 112 yards on 23 carries, and scored St. Ed's only touchdown, a 3-yard run with 5:40 to go in the game.
"Our kids came out flat," said Rolando, whose team fell to 2-2 after going 9-0 in the Metro Suburban last season. "We were missing Dwayne, we were missing Patrick Brown, our starting linebacker and our other running back.
"It was an embarrassing display of football. (ICCP) was tougher, they hit harder, they dominated every aspect of the game other than Caleb Elam. The kid played with a tremendous amount of heart."
Sophomore running back Saveon Smith added 32 yards rushing on 9 carries for the Green Wave, and 11 yards receiving on 2 catches.