Sophomore quarterback Colin Gillespie got his first taste of playing varsity football last week when starter Matt Boyle went down with a thumb injury for Benet.
Gillespie brushed off any anxiety Friday night by completing 10 of 17 passes for 132 yards. With support from a host of running backs, the Redwings earned a 49-13 East Suburban Catholic victory over Marian Catholic at Benedictine.
“I was pretty nervous coming into the game,” said Gillespie, who had Boyle supporting him from the sideline while making his first varsity starter. “After the first few drives I settled in, let the game come to me and did my job.
“It’s tough losing a guy like Matt, but he helped me prepare throughout the week.”
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Benet (4-2, 3-1) used 13 running backs, with six scoring touchdowns. Gillespie even ran one in himself from 6 yards with 2:31 left in the third quarter for a 42-13 lead.
“I think Colin did a wonderful job in his first game as a starter, he was anxious, but he stepped up and played well and executed the offense and carried us through to the win,” Benet assistant coach Jeff Hembrough said.
Hembrough was filling in for head coach Pat New, who missed the game due to personal reasons.
The Redwings moved safety Connor Reid to the running back position for a different package, and it paid off with Reid rushing for 40 yards and two TDs.
“This is my first time running the ball since grade school,” Reid said. “It came back to me easily. I love that position, I wouldn’t mind doing it more.”
Hembrough said when the coaching staff asked Reid if he was interested in running the ball, “he smiled from ear to ear and said absolutely.”
Ben Cooney led all rushers with 71 yards on six carries, including scoring runs of 15 and 5 yards.
Cooney’s carry of 15 yards tied the game 7-7 after Marian Catholic (0-6, 0-4) took the lead on a 1-yard plunge by quarterback Mateo Cedano, who also completed 11 of 24 passes for 191 yards and a TD.
The Redwings led 35-13 at halftime. Brendan Tarpey closed out the scoring with a 73-yard run late in the fourth.
Benet’s defense came to play too, forcing four turnovers — three fumble recoveries and an interception. The Redwings also blocked a punt and an PAT kick.
Bob Hurst is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.