One of Roncalli’s longest regular-season road trips resulted in a happy ride home for the Class 4A No. 8 Royals.
Presented the challenge of taking on undefeated Guerin Catholic, the second-ranked 3A squad, Roncalli answered the call with a 35-21 victory to run its record to 3-2.
Senior Ben Brandenburg rushed for 152 yards for the Royals, while quarterback Collin Ash chipped in a pair of rushing touchdowns.
The Roncalli defense was also up to the task, sacking the Guerin quarterback four times with Sam Neu recording two. Special teams made its mark with a blocked punt that led to Zach Dozier eventually scoring on a 30-yard run with 5:21 remaining in the fourth.
Dozier rushed for 96 yards and Ash 70 for the Warriors.
The Royals sealed the victory with 2:50 remaining on an interception by Dylan Henry.
“It was a good overall win,” second-year Roncalli coach Eric Quintana said. “We saw improvement in all three aspects of the game. We’ve just got to keep progressing. We controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
“The front seven defensively was great, and the offensive line took a step forward.”
Roncalli finished the night with 61 rushes for 361 yards; the defense basically eliminated Guerin Catholic’s ground attack, which managed 42 yards on 24 tries.
Roncalli returns home next Friday to face Brebeuf Jesuit.
