Isaac returns, carries Joliet Catholic to victory
By Jake Krczezowski For Sun-Times Media September 8, 2012 2:02AM
Joliet Catholic's Danny Weiss tackles St. Viator wide receiver John Balas. | Chandler West~Sun-Times Media
Player
of the game
Joliet Catholic’s Ty Isaac ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
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Updated: October 10, 2012 6:30AM
Joliet Catholic running back Ty Isaac may not have started the game for the Hilltoppers on Friday night, but he sure finished it.
Isaac ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns in Joliet Catholic’s 33-20 win over St. Viator at Forest View Field in Arlington Heights.
Isaac was not expected to play in the East Suburban Catholic game because he was nursing a sore shoulder.
In the first half, running back Tyler Reitz rushed for 43 yards and fullback Michael Ivlow punched in a pair of touchdowns to put Joliet Catholic (2-1, 1-0) up 13-6.
But with the score close and St. Viator (2-1, 0-1) picking up steam, Hilltoppers coach Dan Sharp made the decision to go to the USC-bound Isaac late in the second quarter.
“To be honest, I wasn’t supposed to even play in this game,” said Isaac, who was unsure of his status until kickoff. “I felt like (the shoulder) progressed pretty well to the point if the team needed me I could come in. It’s much better than it was last week.”
Isaac pumped life into the Joliet Catholic offense by converting on several long third- and fourth-down situations and capping the second drive of the second half with a 15-yard touchdown run to break a 13-13 tie.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Hilltoppers as St. Viator struggled to find an answer on the offensive end. An interception by Zack Jackovich early in the quarter allowed Joliet Catholic to go up 27-13 on a Ivlow touchdown. Jackovich finished the night with three interceptions.
St. Viator, led by Bobby Calmeyn (19-of-34, 172 yards 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions) put forth a tremendous effort in the loss, making plays when needed and converting several key fourth downs.
The Lions tied the score at 13 with under four minutes left in the third quarter, but the Joliet Catholic defense stopped the rally, outscoring the home team 20-7 over the remainder of the contest.
“If we play like this every game, good things are going to happen to us,” St. Viator coach Brendan New said. “It’s frustrating to play so hard and come up on the short end but they’re a great team.”
Joliet Catholic now will focus on conference foe Nazareth for Homecoming next week.
“For the past few years we haven’t been the most talented or the biggest but as a group we all fight,” Isaac said. “Without that we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”
