Maine South and Loyola, two of the state’s marquee programs, met up in the first round of the Class 8A state playoffs on Saturday.
It wasn’t a game for the ages. The Ramblers won 14-6, the teams were scoreless for three quarters. The scoring and drama picked up in the fourth quarter but was killed by long referee deliberations after Maine South’s eventually unsuccessful two-point conversion (it was initially ruled good) and Loyola’s first touchdown.
“I kind of really want to watch it on film but I don’t want to watch it on film,” Ramblers coach John Holecek said. “The refs have a difficult time.”
Three quarters of scoreless football in the cold was dull for the fans, but is another sign that Holecek has his defense ready for the playoffs. Loyola didn’t allow Maine South’s offense to score.
“Mostly we were in the right spots and tried to take away their best player,” Holecek said. “[Maine South’s Ryan Kilburg] did some damage but he didn’t kill us. So that helped.”
The Ramblers played without running back Vaughn Pemberton, who is out with an injury. He’s the motor for the offense. There are indications he may miss another week, which would be a major problem. Loyola hosts Glenbard West in the second round.
Julian Schurr returns
It doesn’t take a lot of fancy stats to figure out how important running back Julian Schurr is to Notre Dame. The Dons are 8-0 with him and 0-2 without him.
The undersized Schurr, generously listed as 5-7, 160-pounds, missed the last two weeks of the regular season with an injury. He returned for Notre Dame’s 23-21 win against Barrington in the Class 8A state playoffs on Saturday.
Schurr’s teammates call him the pinball, which does account for the way he bounces off defenders, but doesn’t do justice to his speed.
“I’m sure when teams watch film they see me making plays and assume it is because the defense messed up, that I’m not that good,” Schurr said after beating Montini in early October. “So every week it is my point to prove that what they see on film is the truth.”
Schurr and the Dons face the ultimate test in the second round. They’ll be in Frankfort to fact top-ranked Lincoln-Way East.
Public League pains
The CPS football teams managed to play their first-round state playoff games, but they were not very successful. Simeon, Phillips and Kenwood won and the other 17 teams lost.
Payton, which has now lost in the first round for nine consecutive years, has never won a state playoff game. The Grizzlies came awfully close on Saturday at Lane Stadium. They held the lead a few times before losing to Fenwick 21-17.
Another Justin Lynch
Mount Carmel quarterback Justin Lynch has been one of the season’s breakout stars. Turns out there is another junior named Justin Lynch entering the spotlight. He’s the running back at Bolingbrook that keyed the Raiders’ 42-13 win against Hinsdale Central in the first round of the Class 8A state playoffs.
Lynch ran for 136 yards and four touchdowns. The Raiders, who lost their final two games of the regular season, will be favored against Oswego in the second round of the playoffs.
