The St. Rita football team was coming off a win over Mount Carmel and features a hurry-up offense with many different sets and unbalanced formations. The Mustangs’ passing game had been strong most of the season.
St. Rita’s unbalanced sets meant Loyola’s defensive game plan was focused on reacting to the Mustangs’ formations, according to Ramblers junior outside linebacker Anthony Rodriguez.
“We had to read more (than against other teams). Usually we stick to our rules, but this time we had to read it more,” Rodriguez said. “We had a great week of practice, we got a lot of film in, more than usual, and I felt like we were prepared.”
Rodriguez demonstrated his readiness throughout top-ranked Loyola’s 35-3 Chicago Catholic Blue win over St. Rita on Saturday, Oct. 1, in Wilmette.
After a second-quarter stretch in which Loyola gave up a field goal and then punted for the first time, St. Rita had a chance to cut into the Ramblers’ 21-3 lead.
On a third-and-9 play at the St. Rita 26, the 6-foot, 190-pound Rodriguez dropped into coverage and stepped into a passing lane to intercept Mustangs junior quarterback Jake Zylman.
“I just dropped to the flat, surveyed the field and sort of baited the quarterback. I gave the receiver a little more space to make the quarterback a little more comfortable (thinking he had an open target), and then just made the play,” Rodriguez said of his first varsity interception.
Five plays later, Ramblers senior running back Kyle Rock plunged into the end zone giving Loyola (6-0, 2-0) a 28-3 lead.
“That was a really great play, I’m so happy for A-Rod,” Loyola senior middle linebacker Anthony Romano said. “He’s not really known for his pass coverage and now he’s got an interception. He’s just getting better every week.”
Romano added: “(Rodriguez) has speed and athleticism. He might not be the heaviest guy, but he packs a punch when he hits you.”
Rodriguez, who began the summer as a second- or third-stringer, has become a play-making, first-string linebacker. A versatile performer, he lines up as a standing rush linebacker over the tight end or in coverage on the slot receiver.
In addition to his big interception, Rodriguez also had a bone-jarring hit on St. Rita junior wide receiver Dave Gleaves that resulted in a tackle for a loss, and he batted down a pass on a fourth-and-5 play in the third quarter.
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“He has some explosiveness. He’s a quick-twitch guy,” Loyola coach John Holecek said about Rodriguez. “He’s very agile. He’s a very good athlete. I think it’s (about) instincts and intuitiveness. When that stuff comes, he’s going to be a really good player. He’s a worker and he’s got all the tools.”
A Niles resident, Rodriguez said he comes from a family in which boxing was the sport of choice for previous generations. Though he’s never really fought, Rodriguez said his father Nelson, who hails from Puerto Rico, trained him in the boxing gym when he was younger. Anthony Rodriguez said those lessons have served him well on the gridiron.
“(It helped with) footwork, a lot of footwork, especially being an outside linebacker and having to shuffle and move my feet,” Anthony Rodriguez said.
Anthony Rodriguez was one of several valuable performers on the Loyola defense against St. Rita, as the Ramblers held the Mustangs (3-3, 2-1) 38 points below their scoring average and limited Zylman to just 7-of-22 passing for 73 yards.
Romano had two tackles for loss and a sack and junior defensive lineman John McMahon recovered a fumble.
Notes
* Loyola senior tight end Jake Marwede, a Duke recruit, had a big day, catching nine passes for 97 yards. Senior receiver David Terrell Jr. had two catches for 49 yards and senior receiver Jack Moran caught a 4-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
* Rock carried 18 times for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Loyola junior Hamid Bullie had 10 carries for 56 yards. Ramblers senior quarterback Tommy Herion completed 15-of-27 passes for 170 yards.
* Before the game, there was a somewhat unusual moment when a flying object over the field led to a request from the public address announcer: “If someone is responsible for the drone, will they please remove it.” Soon, the object flew away.
*Next up for Loyola is a visit to non-division opponent Leo (2-4) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7.
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @danshalin