By Cameron Baker
For the Daily Journal
INDIANAPOLIS
Playing in the intense weather brought up from Tropiclal Storm Helene, there was only one thing on Sam Otley’s mind when his Roncalli squad played at Brebeuf Jesuit on Friday — run the ball.
That game plan, and some opportunistic defense, seemed to be all the Royals (3-2, 2-1 Circle City) needed as they spoiled Brebeuf’s homecoming night with a 37-18 win.
The Class 4A No. 7 Braves (4-2, 1-2) did not follow suit, looking to pass more than they ran, even when playing into the wind. It was very clear that their pass-heavy offense would not fare well due to the weather.
“It was a good week of practice; the guys were locked in,” Otley said. “They had a lot of momentum from the game before. We were putting guys in positions to be successful, they worked hard all week. And we knew with the conditions, we were going to have to play through a heavy box.”
Brebeuf also had major problems trying to snap the ball, as it had six fumbles in the first half and nine in total. It was apparent that both teams had problems playing into the wind, as every score in the first half came with the wind behind the driving team.
Even though the Braves struggled mightily to get much going on offense, mainly due to the weather, Roncalli’s defense was also able to prevent any huge running plays, as it only gave up 106 yards in the first half. The Royals’ defense went on to force two fumbles and snag two interceptions en route to the victory.
“The defense is playing great. They’ve got some serious leadership over there, and guys playing at a really high level,” Otley said. “We talked about the weather and, yeah, it’s going to provide adversity. But we used it to our advantage.”
Roncalli started its upset bid when a fumbled Brebeuf snap, recovered by Nathan Love, led directly to a 30-yard touchdown pass from Collin Ash to Drew Nelson.
The Braves’ next punt resulted in the worst case scenario, a safety out of the back of their end zone. Due to the wind being in their face, the ball sailed over the punter and through the back of the end zone, giving Roncalli a free two points.
However, on the following kickoff, Brebeuf was able to use the wind to its advantage. The kick was blown back and the Braves were able to recover the ball — but the Roncalli defense forced another turnover on downs.
To keep the momentum going in the Royals’ favor, Ash got his second touchdown of the game when he broke off a huge 70-yard run to put Roncalli up 23-6.
Coming out of halftime, the high winds finally died down. Both teams just had to focus on the rain that persisted throughout the night and execute their offense.
Brebeuf continued to have problems holding onto the ball, as a 76-yard fumble return by Robert Houser put Roncalli up 30-12 just before the end of the third quarter. Shortly after, Eli Lauck intercepted Maverick Geske for a 96-yard pick six, to officially put the game out of reach.
“We wanted to get the ball, we wanted to get the offense on the field, and we wanted to establish the line of scrimmage and get things rolling,” Otley said. “And then let the defense come out with good field position and play with the lead. That was the goal. And it was tough to move the ball, but again the guys found their rhythm and they executed,” Otley said.
Zach Dozier rushed for 162 yards for Roncalli, which hosts Cincinnati La Salle in Week 7.
