By Brandon Jones
Staff Writer
The contest got off to a nice start for the sixth-ranked Rebels with excellent field position after senior Brandon Axum returned the opening kickoff to the Lowell 41-yard line. Championship teams cash in on an opportunity like this, and the Rebels did not disappoint. Roncalli capped off a nine-play drive with a four-yard plunge by senior running back Chris Merkel (22 carries, 109 yards) to draw first blood, and following senior Chad Hertâ??s extra-point kick it was Roncalli 7, Lowell 0 nearly halfway through the first quarter.
The Red Devils, appearing in their first-ever state championship in any sport, marched down the field as if they had been here many times before. A grueling 15-play drive ended in disappointment, however, as a 27-yard field goal was nullified by a false start, and the Red Devils were unsuccessful on the subsequent 33-yard attempt.
The Rebels took over possession of the ball but could not add to their lead as the Lowell defense stepped up to the challenge. (Hint: It would happen again twice much later in the contest when it mattered most.) The Rebels did manage to pick up two first downs, giving themselves some breathing room to punt.
Lowellâ??s succeeding drive started poorly but ended with the desired result. After another false-start penalty on first down, the Devils faced a 1st-and-15. A successful rushing attempt to the left side by 5â??8â? senior Scott Gray (19 carries, 153 yards, three touchdowns) netted seven yards to cut the yardage in half, but it would be Grayâ??s next carry that allowed the Red Devils to position themselves for the tying score.
Gray took a pitch left from Ritter and turned the corner. Fifty-six yards later, the Red Devils were banging on the door at the Roncalli 10. On third down, Gray got the big payoff by way of an eight-yard run over the Rebels defense, tying the score at 7 after sophomore David Langâ??s extra point.
The Rebels would answer, however — and in a BIG way. Just two plays into the next possession, junior quarterback Paul Corsaro (7 of 10 for 120 yards with two touchdowns and one interception) found senior tight end Andy Barkocy after a beautiful play-action fake. Barkocy, who had gotten behind the entire Red Devil defense, hauled in the pass for a 64-yard score, and Hertâ??s PAT put the Rebels back in front, 14-7, just 52 seconds later.
Things went from bad to worse for the underdog Lowell squad on its next possession. Needing a score to gain back some of the gameâ??s momentum, the Red Devils did just the opposite. Gray, the hero on the previous drive, fumbled on second down, and Roncalli senior defensive end Brandon Roberts fell on the ball. The Rebels were in great position again as they took possession at the Lowell 22.
Four plays later, the Rebels would extend their lead to two touchdowns. After three consecutive runs by Merkel to the Red Devilsâ?? 11, Corsaro turned to the air once more for the score. This time he found senior running back Bill Perry from 11 yards out and, following the PAT, the Rebels were now in front by a comfortable 14 point margin with just 2:30 to go in the first half.
Both teams would trade possessions on the remaining series of the first half, with Lowell losing the ball on downs at the Roncalli 30 after wasting a chance to cut the deficit.
The three-time defending state champs thus went into the locker room riding high with a 21-7 advantage.
â??We werenâ??t playing Red Devil football in the first half — we practically gave them their 21 first-half points,â? said Kennedy. â??We were making silly mistakes that we knew would get us beat in this game.
â??Our adjustments (in the second half) were in our hearts and in our brains. We told them at halftime they had 24 minutes for the rest of their life.â?
Coming out of the locker room knowing they needed a score and fast, the Red Devils responded in the biggest of ways. A 15-play, 70-yard drive that ate almost seven minutes off the clock was finalized with a one-yard dive by Gray. The extra point was successful, and Lowell had cut the lead in half at 21-14.
Roncalli, however, answered the bell on its next possession. The Rebels took possession on their own 30 and marched 70 yards in just nine plays. The drive ended with senior running back Brandon Axum getting the ball on a reverse play and tight-roping his way down the south sideline for a 24-yard touchdown.
It may have been the next play, though, that decided the outcome of the game. The extra-point attempt by Hert was blocked by Ritter, who doubles as a linebacker for the Red Devils. Yet Roncalli still held what seemed to be a safe lead at 27-14 with 1:25 remaining in the third period.
First-timer Lowell showed no fear in trailing by 13 after three quarters. The Red Devils took advantage of a tired Roncalli defense to cut into the lead once again. This time, it was via an air attack. After the ninth play of the drive got the ball to the Roncalli 20, Ritter (7 for 13 for 67 yards) passed to senior tailback Jeff Clemens, and Clemens squeezed the ball inside the pylon. Following the extra point, the lead was now down to a precarious six points with 9:12 to go.
The Rebels gave Lowell a gift on their next touch of the ball. Facing a 3rd-and-10 at the Roncalli 30, Corsaro rolled out to his right and was looking for a receiver to move the chains. Instead, he found Lowell junior linebacker Josh Kuiper, who took the ball 18 yards in the other direction to the Rebel 28.
Despite an increasingly crazy RCA Dome crowd, Lowell remained calm and cool in reaching the end zone in just five plays. The Red Devils took their first lead of the evening on a four-yard run by Gray, and the critical point-after by Lang put Lowell up, 28-27, with just 5:51 remaining.
The Rebels had been in this position before and climbed out of it, and it certainly appeared that had once again when Axum took the kickoff up the right sideline for what appeared to be the go-ahead score. But the Rebels were flagged for a clipping violation, sending them back deep under the shadows of their own goalpost.
They knew they needed this drive to claim another state championship, and so did the maniacal fans on both sides of the dome.
The drive looked promising as the Rebels surrounded a 14-yard sack of Corsaro with seven running plays that totaled 39 yards in moving the ball to the Roncalli 45, including a critical two-yard run by Merkel on 4th-and-1. But another Merkel two-yard run, a five-yard pass, and an incompletion set up 4th-and-3 for the Rebels, and this time their luck finally evaporated with 75 seconds remaining when Corsaro was sacked by Lowell senior linebacker Chris Lampa.
Lowell took a knee three times, and the improbable had occurred. Public School â??Davidâ? had slain Catholic powerhouse â??Goliath,â? and the unranked Lowell Red Devils claimed the schoolâ??s first-ever state championship in any sport.
â??Itâ??s not like Roncalli football to give up leads,â? said a weary Scifres, pointing out that all five of Roncalliâ??s postseason games leading up to this one went right down to the wire. â??They blocked a PAT, we throw an interception, and we have a long touchdown return called back.
â??Some of that is self-imposed and obviously a lot of that has to do with their kids playing their hearts out and making plays. Lowell has a great team and they did a great job.â?
Kennedy said the little things mattered late in the game just as much as the huge plays his defense came up with.
â??Everybody will talk about the interception, the blocked extra point, or the fourth-down stop,â? Kennedy said. â??A lot of plays were made in the second half, and every one contributed to our win.â?
Among those contributing heavily on the defensive side of the ball for the Red Devils were defensive back Clemens (12 tackles, including 10 solos) and Kuiper (nine tackles with seven solos). Lowell did a solid job in holding Merkel, Roncalliâ??s leading rusher at 134 yards per game, to 25 yards less than his average and just one score.
The Rebels, meanwhile, struggled a bit more with Gray, who entered the fray averaging 156 yards a game with 26 touchdowns. Leading the Roncalli defense were linebacker Perry (12 tackles, seven of which were solo), senior defensive lineman Steve Wilson (11, four), and senior defensive back Jordan Agresta (eight, seven).
Two Class 4A state championship records set
The 64-yard touchdown pass from Corsaro to Barkocy in the second quarter established two Class 4A championship game records: longest touchdown pass and longest touchdown reception.
The old marks were 62 yards, set by Franklin Central thrower Brian Beckman and receiver Brian Burton in the Flashesâ?? 34-14 win over Hobart in 1990.
Roncalliâ??s Banich receives Mental Attitude Award
Members of the IHSAA Executive Committee selected Roncalli linebacker Nick Banich as the winner of the Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award for Class 4A. A football co-captain and two-year starter, Banich also has participated in basketball and has been a three-year member of the track team, having qualified for the state meet last spring.
The son of Joseph and Jeannie Banich of New Palestine, Banich maintains a 4.1 GPA while enrolled in Honors and Advanced Placement courses at the school. He has been heavily involved in many school activities, including German Club, Student Council, and the National Honor Society. He also was a part of the IHSAA Student Leadership Conference and won the Kiwanis Club Service Leadership Award.
Banich, who is undecided on his college plans at this juncture, said his teammates let one another down in not getting the win. But he understood the loss came to a quality opponent.
â??We knew they were tough,â? said Banich. â??We said in the locker room at halftime there are 20-some seniors on that team, and they are not going to give up in the second half.â?
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