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player ready...When Julian Love broke into the open field on Nazareth’s first play from scrimmage, it signaled a precursor of things to come for St. Laurence.
Playing in blizzardlike conditions, Love dashed 99 yards into the end zone, and the Vikings struggled to contain the Notre Dame recruit the rest of the game as Nazareth seized a 34-0 victory Saturday afternoon in a Class 5A state semifinal.
The Roadrunners (11-2) will play Lincoln-Way West (11-2) on Saturday morning at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb in the championship game. Nazareth is the defending 6A state champ.
“I was trying to stay up, balanced and straight because my eyes were closed running the entire way,” Love said of his opening touchdown run into the blowing snow. “We know we have tough running backs and a tough line, and we know we can get it done when it comes to running the ball.”
The conditions definitely benefited the Roadrunners, according to Nazareth coach Tim Racki, as the cascading snow seemed to slow St. Laurence’s spread offense.
The Vikings (10-3), who average nearly 500 yards of offense, couldn’t get much going in their first semifinal-round appearance in 36 years.
“Our game is predicated on quickness, and when you can’t put a foot into the ground and cut, it takes away a lot,” St. Laurence coach Harold Blackmon said. “We don’t have a lot of size up front, so we have to use angles. We just weren’t able to get to what we wanted to do.”
St. Laurence quarterback Alex Martinez finished 5-for-12 for 58 yards passing and an interception. Martinez finished a stellar senior season with 32 touchdowns and three interceptions.
“We’re a spread offense,” Martinez said. “We like to throw the ball. We also like our runs, but with the conditions, they were able to key on the run, and we weren’t able to get any traction. They were the better team (Saturday).
“Laurence hasn’t been here in 30-something years, so that feels good. But we did come short of our goal.”
Love finished with 281 yards and four TDs on 11 carries. Ivory Kelly-Martin added a 70-yard kickoff return for a score to open the second half, giving Nazareth a 28-0 lead.
St. Laurence should be back in contention for another lengthy postseason run next year. The Vikings’ only senior starters on offense were Martinez, Willie Walton and Anthony Rios.
“These seniors started (their careers) 0-8, and for them to end up as semifinalists for state, they’ve done a heck of a job,” Blackmon said. “I’m so proud of them. I told each and every one of them to hold their heads up. It’s the next team’s turn.”
Logan Malloy is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.