Providence blanks St. Laurence
By Tim Tierney For Sun-Times Media September 8, 2012 12:42AM
Providence's Tommy Markasovic (right) celebrates after recovering a fumble Friday at St. Laurence. | Mary Beth Nolan~For Sun-Times Media
Player of the game
Providence’s Chad Weaver scored on touchdown runs of 66 and 10 yards.
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Updated: October 10, 2012 6:36AM
Coaches preach to their players to not take any team lightly, especially one from the tradition-rich Catholic League. Providence didn’t Friday night.
The No. 3 Celtics will go into their Catholic Blue season next week with a perfect nonconference record after a 38-0 road victory over St. Laurence, a Catholic White member.
Leading 17-0 at halftime, Providence (3-0) put the game out of reach with three third-quarter touchdowns, including an 86-yard kickoff return by Tony Petta to start the second half.
Chad Weaver, whose 66-yard run gave Providence a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, scored from 10 yards out for a 31-0 advantage midway through the third quarter.
“We lit it up with the return on the kickoff,’’ Weaver said. “That was exciting. Then we got the ball back and scored.’’
“Chad’s a gamer. He did everything again for us tonight,’’ Providence coach Mark Coglianese said.
Defensively, linemen Matthew Glenn, Kyle Crawford, Joshua Pericht and Vincent Ambrose, along with linebackers Brian Fordon, Ryan Prickel, Phillip Kunsa and Jack Fordon, played a major role in the shutout.
“The defense played well,’’ Coglianese said. “The first half they hit us on some passes. But the second half the defense came around, and so did the offense.’’
Providence running back Brandon Price had 59 yards on 17 carries, including a 17-yard touchdown run to open the scoring after missing last week’s victory over Minooka because of an ankle injury,
“I wouldn’t say he’s 100 percent, but hopefully one more week,’’ Coglianese said of Price.
St. Laurence (1-2) was coming off a last-minute Week 2 victory over Hubbard. Providence held Vikings running back Mike Fowler to 30 yards on 15 carries.
Providence opens its Catholic Blue schedule Sept. 15 at Loyola, the defending Class 8A runner-up.
“Now we start the Blue and it’ll be a big one up there,’’ Coglianese said.
