In the end, Providence just had more bodies.
“Let’s face it–we wore them out,” Providence coach Matt Senffner said after his Celtics beat Leo 21-6 Friday night. “They had seven or eight guys playing on both sides of the ball, and we didn’t have anybody.”
No. 5 Providence began its quest for a fifth straight state championship by methodically opening a 21-0 lead before Leo scored in the final 5 minutes.
Justin Ruggio gained 128 yards on 24 carries to lead the Providence offense. He scored the last two touchdowns for the Celtics on runs of 1 and 16 yards. Jim Kirby connected on 11 of 16 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.
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“The defense definitely did a nice job,” Senffner said. “We couldn’t be happier about that. Offensively, we have some things to improve on.”
Leo coach Michael Holmes was happy with the effort of his Lions, if not the result.
“We knew we could come in and play a good game against these guys,” Holmes said. “We hope to play them again in the playoffs. We respect Providence, but in the history of Leo versus Providence, they’ve only beat us once.”
Mt. Carmel 21, Joliet Catholic 10: No. 1 Mt. Carmel rallied in the second half to pull out the victory. Behind quarterback Brad Cozzie, the Caravan scored two third-quarter touchdowns to erase a 10-7 deficit.
Caravan coach Frank Lenti switched quarterbacks at halftime, replacing Mike Killeen, who threw two interceptions and was the victim of two fumbles, with Cozzie. Cozzie directed both Caravan third-quarter scoring drives to rally Mt. Carmel.
Cozzie hit Joe Gildein for a 51-yard touchdown strike on the Caravan’s third play of the second half.
Cozzie then scored on a 2-yard run with 2:20 remaining in the third to give the Caravan some breathing room.
“It’s nice to play poorly and still win,” Mt. Carmel coach Frank Lenti said. “The only thing I liked about our performance is that we showed some character when everything was going against us. It would have been easy to quit.”
Wheaton Warrenville South 48, Willowbrook 0: In an exhibition game brought about by a teachers strike, No. 2 Wheaton Warrenville South had little trouble with Willowbrook as quarterback Jon Buetjer threw for 268 yards and five touchdowns.
Wheaton was supposed to play Glenbard West while Willowbrook was set to face Glenbard East, but both games were forfeited because of the strike.
Jonathan Schweighardt had seven receptions for 119 yards and three touchdowns and Eric McGoey had three catches for 122 yards and two TDs, including a 90-yarder.
“I only got knocked down twice,” Buetjer said. “I was able to read the defense. I had a lot of time to sit back there.”
Sandburg 22, Lyons Township 12: Playing without suspended running back Brian Corcoran, No. 7 Sandburg still had enough to outlast the host Lions in Western Springs.
John Cirrintano rushed for 87 yards on 12 carries to lead the Eagles. John Miller caught two touchdown passes from Mike Courtright.
“It was ugly, but that’s what happens in the first game,” Sandburg coach Mike Navarro said. “We blew some opportunities.”
Lockport 26, Oak Park 21: No. 8 Lockport held off an Oak Park rally and survived for an opening-night victory.
Phil Stockmal rushed for 99 yards on 16 carries and one touchdown and Craig Duppong added 68 yards rushing and a score for the host Porters.
Lockport led 20-7 going into the fourth quarter, but Oak Park cut into the lead on Mike Maloney’s 9-yard interception return with 8:15 remaining.
Lockport regained its two-touchdown advantage 5 minutes later on a 10-yard run for Duppong.
Talmadge Hill hit Joel Neay on a 43-yard pass play for Oak Park with just over 3 minutes left, but the Huskies couldn’t get any closer.
“We did not overlook Oak Park,” Lockport coach Brett Kooi said. “It’s just that they’re a very good team. We have to work on executing more properly in our offense. We have to cut down on our mistakes.”
Bishop McNamara 29, Bradley-Bourbonnais 6: Johnny Short had 18 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns as No. 10 Bishop McNamara rolled past Bradley.
Tyjuan Hagler opened the game with an 88-yard kickoff return for Bishop McNamara, and defensive lineman Curt Crossley grabbed a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown.
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Richards 35, Lincoln Park 0: No. 17 Richards jumped to a 22-0 lead after one quarter and cruised to the opening-night victory. Quarterback Cody Lettiere threw two touchdown passes and Jim Orozco rushed for a pair of scores for the Bulldogs.
Andrew 35, Thornridge 9: P.J. Miller returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown and added rushing scores of 13 and 34 yards as No. 18 Andrew pulled away in the second half. The Thunderbolts led 14-2 at the half and outscored Thornridge 21-7 in the second half. Dan Gomez and Vince Massat each had 93 yards rushing for Andrew.
Morris 19, Pontiac 16: Matt Curran scored from 1 yard out with 11 seconds left as No. 19 Morris rallied from a 16-13 deficit. Pontiac had taken the lead with 2 minutes remaining.