FOOTBALL: Marist Hits Game-Winning FG at Buzzer to Beat Nazareth

Breaking It Down: For the second week in a row, the RedHawks went on the road seeking revenge for a 2011 loss.

Last week, the Redhawks beat Brother Rice, 49-35, to gain revenge for a non-conference setback. This time, they overcame a 14-0 halftime deficit to win 24-21 over Nazareth, which is the only East Suburban Catholic Conference team to beat them last year.

Junior kicker Cillian Hannon, who missed a 33-yard field goal attempt wide left in the second quarter, drilled a 32-yarder as time expired for the winner Saturday in LaGrange Park.

Nazareth used two big plays to take a two-touchdown lead – a 67-yard Jake Bartels-to-Zachary Manuel strike after the ball bounced out of Nazareth’s Carl Jackson’s hands and a 57-yard run by Rudy Romagnano.

But the Redhawks made a statement on the first play in the second half when linebacker Anthony Weaver tackled Joshua Moore for an eight-yard loss. Marist scored on four of its final five possessions for the victory.

Patch’s MVP: Peter Andreotti, Marist. With the passing game sputtering in the first half, the junior running back ran the ball 22 times for 126 yards in the second half. For the game, he ran 29 times for 146 yards and a touchdown.

Marist Stat Pack: Quarterback Ian Woodworth threw for 163 yards but was 18-of-41 and ran in a touchdown. Junior receiver Nic Weishar had a quiet game by his standards (four catches, 43 yards) but his leaping 14-yard touchdown catch with 6:34 left in the game gave the Redskins their first lead of the day. Linebacker Anthony Weaver had two second-half tackles for losses before leaving the game with what Marist coach Pat Dunne called cramps in Weaver’s legs.

Nazareth Stat Pack: The Roadrunners outgained Marist 339-306 but committed several costly penalties to help kill drives. Quarterback Jake Bartels threw for 172 yards. Rudy Romagnano had 22 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Zachary Manuel had six catches for 131 yards.

Quotable I: “At halftime, one of our captains, Ian Woodworth, woke us up with some words. We were calm at first and when we walked back on this field, I knew we weren’t losing.” -- Marist running back Peter Andreotti.

Quotable II: “I zeroed it out. I didn’t think about it.” – Marist kicker Cillian Hannon on not letting a missed 33-yard field goal attempt affect him when he kicked a 32-yard game winner.

Team Records: Marist is 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. Nazareth fell to 2-1, 0-1.

What’s Next: Marist hosts St. Patrick in an ESCC game at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 14. It’s the first home game of the season for the Redhawks, who have just three regular-season home contests in 2012. Nazareth, which opened the season at home for the first three contests, has its first road contest when it visits Joliet Catholic Academy at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at Joliet Memorial Stadium.

Scores of Interest:  St. Patrick 17, Benet 16; Ag. Science 28, Woodlawn 6; Glenbard West 49, Lyons 7.