Breaking It Down: It seemed that at every pivotal point in Nazareth’s 33-20 win over on Friday night, the Roadrunners got big plays from different people. There was Rudy Romagnano’s 77-yard touchdown run to open the scoring, Mark Patterson’s interception at the end of the first half, and Kalium Ewing’s 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half, to name a few.
Marist proved it could move the ball with its spread offense, but too often long drives resulted in no points. The host RedHawks missed a field-goal attempt on their first possession and couldn’t capitalize after recovering a Nazareth fumble at the Roadrunners’ 29-yard line. Late in the fourth quarter, Marist again turned it over on downs in Nazareth territory.
Ultimately, Romagnano was the difference-maker. His two long touchdown runs—he ran for a 69-yard score at the beginning of the second half—resulted in huge momentum shifts, and Marist had no answer for him.
Patch’s MVP: Rudy Romagnano, Nazareth. On his second carry of the game, Romagnano rumbled 77 yards for a touchdown to give Nazareth a 7-0 lead. The big, bruising running back helped the Roadrunners control the clock and gave them several big plays when they needed it. His 22-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter sealed the win for Nazareth. He also had TD runs of 5 and 23 yards, and rushed for a total of 237 yards on 20 carries.
Marist Stat Pack: Woodworth finished 18-of-37 passing for 215 yards, but he also threw an interception. Sophomore Peter Andreotti had 112 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Nic Weishar had nine catches for 103 receiving yards.
Nazareth Stat Pack: QB Sam Poulos was only 2-of-3 passing for 47 yards, with both completions coming in the first half. Josh Moore, Romagnano’s backfield mate, had 44 yards on 11 carries.
Quotable I: Marist’s Ryan Meyer: “Big plays here and there, they’ll happen. You just have to respond to them. Just like this game, you have to respond to it.”
Quotable II: Marist coach Pat Dunne: “We’re always trying to move on in a positive manner. Obviously, you don’t like the taste of a loss, but it’s something we have to move forward from and continue to get better.”
Team Records: Nazareth moves to 4-1 on the season (4-1 East Suburban Catholic) while Marist falls to 3-2 (3-1 East Suburban Catholic).
What’s Next: Marist travels to Marian next Friday, while Nazareth goes on the road against Joliet Catholic.
Scores of Interest: Marian defeated St. Patrick 50-0. For more scores, visit the IHSA score zone.
