By Mark Gregory
Editorial Director
@Hear_The_Beard
mark@buglenewspapers.com
The faces may have changed, but the jerseys are the same and when the ball goes in the air at 10 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University it will be another Joliet Catholic vs. Montini IHSA playoff game – and that means a battle between the lines.
The two storied programs have met in the playoffs four previous times, including twice in the championship game, but the Hilltoppers have never won.
In 2009, Montini slipped by JCA 29-28 to take the title and in 2012 the Broncos eliminated the Hillmen in the semifinals (40-37) and in 2014 JCA fell 27-13 in the second round.
But the game all fans think of first when they think of JCA and Montini is the record-setting performance in the 2011 state championship game.
Montini won 70-45 in a game where JCA junior running back Ty Isaac rushed for a championship game record 515 yards and six touchdowns, but Montini receiver Jordan Westerkamp caught 12 passes for 353 yards, at the time a single-game record, and five scores. All total, Bronco quarterback John Rhode was 29-for-45 for 587 yards and seven TDs.
“It is a rivalry, I just hope we can be on the other side of it,” Joliet Catholic coach Jake Jaworski said. “It is their tradition and the way they run things. At the end of the day, they have to play us too.”
The Class 5A title game this year has the makings of another shootout as Montini (12-1) has scored 159 points throughout the postseason (40 points per game average), while Joliet Catholic has scored 195 points in the playoffs (49 points per game).
The Hillmen have defeated three undefeated opponents in the last three weeks to earn the berth to the title game.
“It was no small feat,” Jaworski said. “Give a lot of credit to the teams that we have beat – the teams that we had in the playoffs and the teams that we had on our schedule that kind of showed our guys.”
Joliet Catholic is paced by senior running back Keenan Hailey, who has tallied 2.540 yards on the season and is 151 yards away from passing James Randle, who holds the program’s single-season rushing record with 2,690 yards, set in 1996.
While the offenses have been on overload, the defenses for both teams have also stepped up. Joliet Catholic Academy has allowed only 13.5 points per game, while Montini has allowed 12.8.
During the nine-game regular season, JCA outscored its opponents by 3.8 points per game, in the postseason, they have a point differential of 32.25 points per contest.
The Broncos outscored their opponents by a 25 point per game differential during the season and 27 during the playoffs.
Saturday is Joliet Catholic’s 18th appearance in the IHSA state championship game – the Hillmen have a state-record 13 state titles and four second-place finishes.
This is JCA’s 40th overall playoff run and first since 2105 when the team was 1-8 in Dan Sharp’s last season as coach. In Jaworski’s first year last season, the Hillmen posted a three-win season.
Taking a step to the state finals is not something that surprises Jaworski.
“With this group of seniors, we knew we had a pretty formidable squad and we knew if we could stay somewhat healthy, we would have a puncher’s chance if we got in the playoffs,” he said. “This is exciting for the kids to see how far they have come. They have answered every challenge that we have given them and they kept working and they kept the faith, they kept believing in what we were doing and took to the coaching. We are hoping to make history again with our 14th title.”
To reach that goal, JCA will be putting Thanksgiving dinner on hold while it practices for the big game.
“I love my family, but there is nothing better than practicing on Thanksgiving and getting ready for a state championship game,” Jaworski said. “Dinner will be on the table at some point.”