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ICCP stopped one game short of state

Standing on a frozen football field Saturday night after dreams of a state title had been dashed, IC Catholic Prep receiver Pat Guinan was understandably upset.

The Knights senior saw his team's 11-game winning streak snapped by the same Bishop McNamara team that handed them their lone loss way back on opening day. But Saturday's 42-14 setback in the Class 3A semifinals brought an end to the ICCP season and sent the 12-1 Fightin' Irish into next week's state title game against Tolono Unity.

"It stinks how it ended," said Guinan, who gave the Knights some life with a 32-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter that had chopped Bishop McNamara's 14-0 lead in half. "But there were a lot of positives about this season. We had the best times together and it's been a great ride. It just stinks that it ended, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Looking to reach the state finals for the first time since 2008, the Knights just ran into a great running back in Jonathan Ward, along with a team with a strong defense and a dangerous return game. Senior Jonathan Ward gave the visitors a quick 14-0 lead with TD runs of 7 and 26 yards in the first quarter, and that was only the beginning. He finished the night with 27 carries for 196 yards and 4 touchdowns.

"They're explosive. They're a very good football team and they jumped on us early," Knights coach Bill Kreft said. "That's the best back we've seen all year."

After the Irish missed a field goal while looking for a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, ICCP countered with an 80-yard drive capped by Luke Ricobene's perfect 32-yard pass to Guinan to make the score 14-7 with 10:49 left in the first half.

But Bishop McNamara wasted no time in taking back the momentum and the 2-touchdown lead when Chris Bell scooped up the ensuing kickoff just before it skipped out of bounds on the right sideline and then raced all the way back to the left side of the field for what proved to be a backbreaking 77-yard touchdown return. It was one of two long returns on the night by Bell.

"That kickoff return really killed us in the ballgame," Kreft said. "It looked like we were going to kind of crawl our way back into it and then that."

The Knights got another big game from running back Jordan Rowell, who had 27 carries for 128 yards, but 4 turnovers kept the hosts from staying close to the Ward-led opposition. Ward's third score, a 68-yarder with 1:08 left in the half, made the score 29-7 at the half.

ICCP's second score came on a play that saw Rowell run for 10 yards before losing the ball around the 1-yard line, only to have teammate Luke Calles jump on the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.

"They're a momentum team and we couldn't stop their momentum early," said Rowell, a junior who will lead the Knights next season. "We accomplished a lot of things. We knew we were probably going to be playing them again so we've been preparing since that loss in Week 1. I'm proud of this team. We went pretty far."

Once the sting of Saturday's setback wears down, Guinan and his teammates will indeed realize just how much they have to be proud of.

"At the end of the day, we'll be able to hold our heads high. We had a great season. Like I said, I couldn't ask for more. It was a great experience," said Guinan, one of the last players to leave the field after the game.

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