Time of possession stats were somewhat misleading during the first half of the Loyola football team’s 55-0 thrashing of St. Francis on Saturday, Sept. 17, in Wilmette.
On four drives, the top-ranked Ramblers (4-0) needed just one play to put the ball into the end zone, a fifth drive took all of two plays as Loyola built a 41-0 halftime lead in a Chicago Catholic League crossover game.
“(The short drives) are all because of the offensive line,” said Loyola junior running back Hamid Bullie, who ran untouched for scores of 26 and 38 yards. “All we have to do is run, maybe make one move, and rarely do we have to do that.”
The offensive line wasn’t even at full strength against the Spartans (0-4) because starting center Paddy Kotowski, a senior, was out with a knee injury suffered in Week 3 versus Mount Carmel.
But versatile senior left guard Jack Badovinac shifted to center and senior Brian McTague played to his left, and the Ramblers didn’t miss a beat.
The group also included senior left tackle John Brekke, senior right guard Callum Brien and junior right tackle Charlie Gross.
“They are the heart and soul of the team,” Loyola coach John Holecek said about the offensive line. “It’s a group of tight-knit, hard-working guys. They’re all very mobile, most of them have good feet, they have good size, they’re tenacious and they play nasty. It’s a combination of a lot of great things.”
Badovinac, who has committed to Colgate, and Brekke are the two returners from last season’s offensive line, which also included Sam Badovinac (Butler), Daniel Kurkowski (Holy Cross) and Thomas Nute.
Longtime Loyola offensive line coach Mike Kotowski, Paddy’s father, said last year’s state-championship front five is the gold standard of Ramblers O-lines. However, this year’s group has the potential to be nearly as good.
“This group, I would say, can be in my top five, maybe top three, in the past 10 years,” said Kotowski, who is in his 24th season on the Loyola coaching staff. “Last year, our group would be No. 1 because of how far we went, and they were so good together, they communicated, had a great group of personalities and really meshed well.”
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Jack Badovinac, who played alongside his older brother last fall, said the current group strives to be like its predecessor.
“We had a great O-line last year, we stayed healthy through the whole season, which was huge,” said Jack Badovinac, a Wilmette resident. “We always got a huge push and were really close-knit. It’s a good goal to have, to get to that level of last year.”
Among the strengths of this year’s offensive line is the mobility of the guards, Jack Badovinac and Brien, which allows them to trap and pull.
Brekke said this year’s group also has several leaders.
“Last year, Sam (Badovinac) really led us. He was the center making the calls: protection, changes,” said Brekke, who lives in Chicago. “(Now) Jack (Badovinac) is a good leader. But this year, really the leadership is more spread out, everyone can step up when they need to.”
Mike Kotowski also said there is a natural chemistry on this year’s offensive line. In addition to returning two starters, newcomers Paddy Kotowski, Brien and McTague all grew up in the same northside Chicago neighborhood, attended St. Margaret Mary School in West Ridge and have been teammates for several years.
“(Chemistry) is very important. The communication level is so important, they need to talk every play,” Mike Kotowski said.
Notes
* The Ramblers defense held St. Francis to just 50 total yards in the first half, and a net of 2 yards. The Spartans didn’t cross midfield until 6:10 remaining in the third quarter.
* Loyola senior defensive back Ian Swenson, who has verbally committed to Connecticut, had a first-quarter interception.
* Ramblers senior running back Kyle Rock had touchdown runs of 46 and 28 yards. Senior quarterback Tommy Herion opened the scoring with a 35-yard touchdown pass to senior David Terrell Jr. Loyola junior Vernon Green had a 1-yard touchdown run, junior quarterback Andrew Forsyth had a 28-yard touchdown run and junior running back John McCabe scored on a 60-yard run on the game’s final play.
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @danshalin