Nov. 15--St. Laurence quarterback Alex Martinez and running back Fayezon Smart teamed up for two first-quarter touchdowns as the Vikings rolled to a 36-9 victory against Tinley Park on Saturday night in Burbank.
St. Laurence (10-2) will host Nazareth (10-2) in a Class 5A semifinal next Saturday.
Martinez threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Smart with 3 minutes, 45 seconds left in the first quarter, and followed that with a 76-yard connection to Smart with 14 seconds to play in the frame. Mauricio Garibay kicked a 32-yard field goal for the Vikings with 5:17 left in the second for a 17-0 halftime lead.
"We had a great game plan, and our defense helped us out quite a bit," Martinez said. "We kind of knew what they were going to give us, and our receivers found the open spots."
Smart gained 130 yards on 29 carries and set a new single-season school rushing record. He has gained 2,029 yards this season, breaking the mark of 2,015 set by Joe Martinez in 1998.
Martinez threw for 368 yards and five touchdowns. Tinley Park (9-3) pulled to within 17-9 on a 1-yard run by quarterback Daniel McCullough with 4:35 to play in the third quarter, but Martinez threw a pair of TD passes to Robert Chayka from 18 and 54 yards for a 30-9 lead just over two minutes into the fourth.
Martinez is confident that the Vikings can beat Nazareth.
"They're a tough team, but I feel that if we play the way we've been playing, we're a pretty tough team too," Martinez said. "It should be a pretty good game."
Bob Hurst is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Player of the game: Alex Martinez, St. Laurence, 17-for-25, 368 yards, 5 TDs.
Key performers: St. Laurence -- Fayezon Smart, 29 carries, 130 yards; 3 catches, 104 yards, 2 TDs; Robert Chayka 6 catches, 117 yards, 2 TDs. Tinley Park -- Daniel McCullough 15 carries, 40 yards, TD.
