St. Rita 35 @ Hillcrest 8 Final
- Thread starter RockSoup
- Start date
Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. Who really knows? I do know one thing: Cascia will be playing in the semifinals since the loss to Lake Zurich several years ago. Or was it the WWS loss? Not sure, but Rita had a very nice run during those years.
Rita, too, is missing a special player in Henry Wilson. Hopefully, no injuries in this game for both teams.
SW--make sure you predict in the CCL-ESCC Prediction Thread and/or the Boylan VS Rita thread. Even if you predict against Rita, I shall accept your insights.
No on
35-8 and no one have me kudos for my 32-7 prediction
Witty and 1st and ten did. They called you SW
Recap:
St. Rita played the majority of the game in a two tight end set which I don’t know if they showed all year except maybe short yardage situations. It doesn’t go too well. Hillcrest D played inspired and keyed on KB and did very well. St. Rita blocking in the first half resembled a Friday walk through intensity, playing too high and catching defenders instead of driving them with leverage at the point of contact. 14-0 lead at the half was from a much needed Punt return TD by spark plug senior Tommy Hixson and a very short field TD set up by a violent fumble-causing QB sack by senior Evan Wojcicki.
Second half, the benefits of the double tight game plan come to light as the Hillcrest D wears down and the blockers lower their pad levels and begin initiating the contact instead of catching it. Need to start off the upcoming Boylan game with that type of determination shown in today’s second half.
KB played an incredible game with the whole stadium and town of CC Hills keying on him. A ton of big boy tough yards until he was able to spring free with one of his signature highlights. He sat the 4th.
Can’t say enough about the D since the Montini game. They kept the energy and production up until the Offense found their feet.
If your watching KB on O, do yourself a favor and watch junior LB Gaughan and senior DE Milton on D. Milton passed Darius Fleming for career sacks and is such a violent technician against read option offenses. Gaughan is the perfect “new age” inside LB, incredible speed, change of direction and tackling ability. You won’t be impressed looking at him but you’ll be impressed watching him.
Having Irving out obviously is a huge deal but I don’t know if St. Rita comes out flat either if #2 was healthy. Going forward, the Mustangs need to bring the intensity up and the pad level down from the opening whistle if they want to keep going forward.
Incredible overflow St. Rita crowd to watch the quarterfinals.
St. Rita played the majority of the game in a two tight end set which I don’t know if they showed all year except maybe short yardage situations. It doesn’t go too well. Hillcrest D played inspired and keyed on KB and did very well. St. Rita blocking in the first half resembled a Friday walk through intensity, playing too high and catching defenders instead of driving them with leverage at the point of contact. 14-0 lead at the half was from a much needed Punt return TD by spark plug senior Tommy Hixson and a very short field TD set up by a violent fumble-causing QB sack by senior Evan Wojcicki.
Second half, the benefits of the double tight game plan come to light as the Hillcrest D wears down and the blockers lower their pad levels and begin initiating the contact instead of catching it. Need to start off the upcoming Boylan game with that type of determination shown in today’s second half.
KB played an incredible game with the whole stadium and town of CC Hills keying on him. A ton of big boy tough yards until he was able to spring free with one of his signature highlights. He sat the 4th.
Can’t say enough about the D since the Montini game. They kept the energy and production up until the Offense found their feet.
If your watching KB on O, do yourself a favor and watch junior LB Gaughan and senior DE Milton on D. Milton passed Darius Fleming for career sacks and is such a violent technician against read option offenses. Gaughan is the perfect “new age” inside LB, incredible speed, change of direction and tackling ability. You won’t be impressed looking at him but you’ll be impressed watching him.
Having Irving out obviously is a huge deal but I don’t know if St. Rita comes out flat either if #2 was healthy. Going forward, the Mustangs need to bring the intensity up and the pad level down from the opening whistle if they want to keep going forward.
Incredible overflow St. Rita crowd to watch the quarterfinals.
Spot on recap Rock.
Coach Kuska threw out 80% of the play book for this game. It wasn’t glamorous but it was very effective. With so many players for Hillcrest going both ways they just wore them out. Hillcrest’s team had the best team speed SR has seen all year. Instead of trying to run around them SR ran at them negating their team speed. For those who have not seen Kaleb Brown play in person he is very fast, can stop on a dime, and then change directions. But he is very strong too. He ran right over some people yesterday. Watching the two TE's hover over the LB's was a treat. Sophomore OL #71 looked really big at TE. I was at the alumni luncheon last week and Coach had nothing but positive comments about HC. He listed several players that are game changers other than the star RB. HC’s QB the other RB and a couple of WR’s were all capable of going the distance on any play. Hence the game plan to take the air out of the ball. On every play those players had the ball in open space you feel the SR crowd tense.
Again spot on recapping the defense. Milton career parallels Flemings closely. Future college linebackers playing DE in high school. Milton has been invited to the Blue/Gray game as a LB. Fleming played in the Army All-American Bowl. Fleming’s State Championship Team put a lot of pressure on opposing QB’s with just 3 DL. With another future NFL'er at the other DE position in Matt Conrath and big Ed Streit in the middle opposing QB’s did not have the time to sit in the pocket. Gaughan stats are off he charts. He like the rest of the team are good open field tacklers. And the best thing about Gaughan is he’s back next year. This year’s team just comes at you from every direction and has more of jail break mentality. Here we come try to block all of us. It’s not about any one player it’s more of a group thing.
When I was watching the intensity of Rita in the first half I was nervous for them. I was just waiting for Hillcrest to break one off, but without Irving that was very hard to do. If Rita plays the first half like they did this week against Boylan then it will be a tough game for them. From what I saw, this Rita team is dangerous and with many juniors on the team, they are going to be hard to work with next year.
Great Crowd for SR. Very poor fan support for HC. That was a 10-1 with 1/3rd the crowd at home as the visitors had. Those players for HC deserved better support.
K. Brown was taken out of the game before the 3rd period was over. HC score was on the subs. Once SR was up by 21 they used all of the 40 second clock to run the play. They didn't get into to their stances till the back judge raised his hand. The point spread could have been larger. To those worried about the lack of scoring early in the game I think Kuska's game plan was to not get into a scoring dual. No turn overs, control the clock, no penalties, and wear them out. They had very little practice time this week outdoors. My grandson suited for the varsity this week as a sophomore and they had to rent the Evergreen fitness center Wednesday just to get some reps. It's not about style points this time of the year, it's about W's.
K. Brown was taken out of the game before the 3rd period was over. HC score was on the subs. Once SR was up by 21 they used all of the 40 second clock to run the play. They didn't get into to their stances till the back judge raised his hand. The point spread could have been larger. To those worried about the lack of scoring early in the game I think Kuska's game plan was to not get into a scoring dual. No turn overs, control the clock, no penalties, and wear them out. They had very little practice time this week outdoors. My grandson suited for the varsity this week as a sophomore and they had to rent the Evergreen fitness center Wednesday just to get some reps. It's not about style points this time of the year, it's about W's.
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Spot on recap. Let me ask though, how will this team stack up against a team like Rochester who spreading 5 wide no huddle, secondary for SR been suspect at times and have not been really tested in the air since Benet? SR offense needs a passing game asap, top two receivers are out, who steps up?
It may not even happen so wait until next week.
In short the team that gets the lead early and can dictate their style of play will have the advantage.
I hope the coaches and players aren't thinking about that right now. Focusing on a game plan to defeat Boylan is the only way to go right now.
I watched Rita twice this year and hillcrest 3 times,with Irving it would of been a totally different outcome!
So hilcrest was one player away from being routed and where SR sat their stud RB to winning the game? I know irving is good, but come on!
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Brin, sometimes a leopard will never change his spots. We are moving on to the semifinals against a very good team in Rockford Boylan. If he feels that Irving is worth 28 points for a 36 - 35 Hillcrest victory, then so be it.
Highly doubtful. Rita would have had a different gane plan. Plus, SR is playing without its division-1 CB/WR
It was 35-0 when HC scored on the subs. Kaleb Brown was sitting on the bench before the end of the 3rd Quarter. HC's defense practices against Irving so they should have been able to contain KB. They didn't. SR's defense practices against KB so Irvings speed would not be an issue either. Maybe SR would not have had shutout against HC first unit with Irving in the game but the HC team would have still have had run out of gas in the second half even with Irving.
Please, your dreaming. Hillcrest only scored because SR had their 2nd string defense in. If Irving played, score would be the same.
Why wasn't Rita able to stop Leshon Williams week 2 by that logic?
*Some* Rita fans...FIFY
Crazy different defense since Montini game. Very impressed. Doesn’t change the fact that Irving’s health impacted everything about that matchup.
On a side note, you and I have sparred over the season about the private public split. And although I wouldn’t mind the status quo, without maybe the waiver rule. If the vote was for a split, I just say why stay because the attendance difference was striking at the game. Tickets $7 Rita fans a conservative 2k fans HC maybe a generous 200 fans minus the band. 14k gate vs a 1,400 gate. I bet the IHSA would like to continue the status quo
If that was a basketball sectional the gym would have been filled with Hillcrest people. It is not a football school. It is a school who has a good football program.
Man, you can't even let "some" of the Rita fans pump their chest a little, huh? You were just waiting for something to pounce on here, so much hate for the Rita fans. Why can't you be happy for us. You have a ton of championships. You know, it's been awhile for us. Haters gonna hate.
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Williams had 140 yards on 30 carries, good stats didnt run all over SR and until their final drive he had less than 100 yards rushing. Plus was second game of season, as stated defense is much improved since then. Not saying we would have shut irving down and that score wouldnt be different, but if we would have held him to 140 yards and a score i would have considered that a victory, but we'll never know. I was looking forward to seeing him play.
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If Rita didnt have Brown and a quality defensive starter, would the outcome be different? Of course, so to say Irving playing wouldn't have mattered is wrong.
No one apologizes or returns a trophy because someone on the other team got hurt. Its ok to enjoy a win but have to be little realistic sometimes and admit caught a break.
No one apologizes or returns a trophy because someone on the other team got hurt. Its ok to enjoy a win but have to be little realistic sometimes and admit caught a break.
This is spot on. Irving is a ridiculously talented back, Hillcrest defense would have been on the field WAY less if he were playing. It would have changed the game dramatically. I was saying last week that if Irving is healthy, I'd take HC plus the 6 points. Without him, I'd pound Rita minus 21. He IS that big of a difference. If you don't think so, then you probably haven't seen him play. Their entire offensive scheme is designed to get him the ball in space.
That being said, Rita can only play who is lined up across from them. They ground it out in the first half, then ran away from them. It happens to pretty good teams without the horses all of the time.
Time to focus on the team that beat the team that beat the guys who pasted you earlier in the season. Somehow, Massey has Rita as a 2 TD favorite at home. I think it'll be a great game.
Igor, nail meet head. You must’ve been at the Laurence / Hillcrest state opener. Here’s the things guys, these kids fight, scratch and claw but then you see a talent like Irving, saw it with Smalling for Rice, you see kids that are game changers. Nothing and no disrespect to my Rita guys (you know who you are!!!) and the legends of Dennis Lick, Billy Marek, Jim Angsten, Paul Thibodeaux, Ahmad Merritt,Mike Kafka, John Foley, Ryan Donahue, Tony Simmons. But Irving is a game changer...at this level a talent like that changes things, he would’ve changed things ... maybe not the outcome but the score would’ve been different.
You worked and won. ‘Nuff said brothers. You are semi finalists. Well deserved and much respect!! Enjoy the ride.
You worked and won. ‘Nuff said brothers. You are semi finalists. Well deserved and much respect!! Enjoy the ride.
Rita was missing a kid with an offer from an ACC school; he is a major difference maker too
Very sound advice, indeed. However, "some" Rita fans do have a right to respond to a post (by wasdo) implying that HC would've won the game if Irving was playing. Well, Cascia was missing Henry Wilson and their other top WR. He drew First Blood, so to speak and that's fine.
And believe me, we need to be humbled and appreciative that the Mustangs have gotten to this point. It's been a long time. Your sound advice is duly noted. And as I posted before, we should focus on what is ahead--a solid Boylan team. Now. let's do this!
It would be a helluva game for sure. To be honest and I posited this before, I think Rita should schedule an "easier" schedule, so to speak, although I did support a JCA Week One matchup.
Richard's coach told St. Rita before the game this year they would not be renewing the contract. And I'm pretty sure JCA is also a no go also. I do not want to see a top 10 team week two with LA and Montini weeks 3 and 4. I don't think its necessary to win the playoff points battle. The last two years the schedule has been insane.
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I second this. I will take it a step further and say no Top 20 team at all; that's just me. I don't think every damn game should be a grind because of the wear and tear. Of course playing a tough schedule makes a team better but sometimes that said team (if she even makes it) is too banged up and ends up losing to the healthier team.
With Bronco-Rambler-Benet-Celtic-Don on that damn schedule next year, no thanks to a brutal first two weeks. Although Cascia cannot follow this model, I love what Maine South does: they have acknowledged that their conference is weak, so they schedule brutal non-conference games to prepare them for the grind.
St Rita will beat Boylan 35-0 You will have your reserves in by 3rd and 4th Q Nothing against Boylan, they are a great football program like Sterling and Hillcrest but Rita is at another level, like a 7A level dare I say? Lol
Weeks 1 & 2 TBD
St. Rita
W3 vs Loyola
W4 vs Montini
W5 at. Marian Central
W6 vs Providence
W7 at. Marian Catholic
W8 at Benet
W9 at. Notre Dame
I believe the schedules are the same as this year for all CCL/ESCC teams, but reverse the destination of the game, unless you're just interested in Weeks 1 & 2.
