Another game, another win for Marian Central

Marian Central Catholic High School’s football team found another reason to rally Oct. 12 in Elgin during their 52-6 victory over the St. Edward Green Wave (2-6 overall; 0-2 SCC Blue Division). The Hurricanes welcomed class of 2012 grad Jacob Thompson, who was back in town after joining the U.S. Marines. 

“He always gave it his all, and we dedicated this game to him,” said junior Chris Daniels. “We had that edge because he was with us. Him being here for this game made it that much more fun.”

The Hurricanes (8-0 overall; 6-0 SCC Blue) went on a rampage for Thompson, scoring 21 points in the first and second quarters to build a 42-0 halftime lead. 

“Everybody played hard,” said head coach Ed Brucker. “You worry about a letdown after beating Montini last week. I thought we played hard and were ready to go.”

Senior Greg Walczak got the momentum going by catching a 19-yard touchdown pass from senior Chris Streveler less than two minutes into the game. Five minutes later, junior Ephraim Lee ran 22 yards to score his first of four touchdowns in the first half. But it was senior defensive end Liam Kirwan who prompted one of the most thrilling reactions from the crowd when he scooped up a fumble and ran 22 yards into the end zone. 

In the second half, senior kicker Trent Faunce, who completed 2 of 3 passes for 25 yards,  took over for Streveler, who completed 9 of 11 passes for 140 yards.  Sophomore Charles Shin stepped in to kick. Shin punctuated the win with an interception, fumble recovery and a 37-yard field goal with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter. 

“We kept the momentum going,” said Shin, who has come a long way during his first season with the varsity team. “I’m grateful, lucky and blessed to be here.”

Lee rushed 13 times for 127 yards to lead the Hurricanes in rushing. Junior running back CJ Wightman had 11 carries for 44 yards. Lee and Walczak each had three receptions for 44 and 46 yards, respectively. 

“We were working all week on getting better with fundamentals and taking care of the basics,” said Daniels. “We just had a great week of practice and that overflowed into the game.”

Daniels said he looks for the momentum the Hurricanes have gained from their undefeated record to spill over into the final regular season game and playoffs as well, although he and his teammates are adamant they are not looking too far ahead into the playoffs yet. “Rankings don’t mean anything,” said Daniels. “All that matters is wins and losses.”

The Hurricanes will host Wheaton Academy (4-4 overall; 3-1 SCC Gold) for a nonconference matchup at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19. The 2012 IHSA Football Playoff Pairings show will stream live on the IHSA TV Network and www.IHSA.tv at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20. The Associated Press has ranked Marian first in Class 5A.