By J.D. Neiswanger
For the Daily Journal
INDIANAPOLIS
The last time Roncalli and Brebeuf Jesuit met, the remnants of a literal hurricane (Helene) delivered wind, rain, cold and a lot of turnovers that resulted in a Royals win.
On Friday night, the Royals delivered a figurative hurricane that bruised and battered the Braves all night on the way to a 55-27 victory that will allow the Royals (6-4) to host a Class 4A sectional final against No. 5 Bishop Chatard.
“I’m proud of the effort. At this point in the season, it will take your best to play well,” Roncalli coach Sam Otley said. “These are a bunch of unselfish guys, and when everybody does their part and works together and does their role it can be a fun time.”
While the backs scored the touchdowns and lit up the stat sheet, the true stars of the night were the Roncalli offensive line. They paved the way for 371 yards on 50 rushes, and not a single drive ended with a punt. Running back junior Zach Dozier and quarterback Collin Ash patiently picked and poked through the holes opened up by the line all night. Dozier finished the night with 172 yards on the ground, while Ash had 159.
“They work hard and they have been looking for opportunities to control the game and the line of scrimmage,” Otley said of his line. “I like the way that they are playing right now; they are playing physical football.”
While the game ended up being a blowout, one of the key moments of the game was on the opening drive. Brebeuf QB Maverick Geske, only the fifth player in the state to ever pass for 4,000 yards in a season, moved the Braves steadily downfield to start things off. C.J. Harris broke through the line for an 8-yard gain to set up Brebeuf with a first and goal at the one — but the Royals’ defense came up with a goal-line stand, stuffing Harris on fourth down.
“That was our defense taking advantage of the first opportunity they had, and it really set a tone for the game,” Otley said.
A running into the punter penalty allowed Roncalli to keep possession, and it wound up driving 99 yards on 18 plays and consuming more than 10 minutes of clock. Ash scored his first of three TDs on a 7-yard run and Roncalli had established the theme for the night — long, steady drives with the offensive line pushing Brebeuf’s defensive line backwards on seemingly every single play.
Brebeuf struck back quickly, tying the game at 7-7, before a 27-yard TD pass from Jayden Buchanan to Rudy Schoettle put the Royals back on top. The Braves struck back quickly again and made it 14-13 late in the first half, but Buchanan orchestrated a two minute drill that finished with a 20-yard TD pass to senior Drew Nelson. After a three and out from the Braves, a long punt return by Schoettle set up Gavin Louthain for a 45-yard field goal to end the half with Roncalli up 24-13.
Ash’s 4-yard TD run in the middle of the third quarter made a statement that this game was going to be won on the ground. No matter how quickly Brebeuf fought back, the Royals simply took the ball back and dominated.
“In a game that you are against an explosive team like Brebeuf, you keep running the ball because it is working,” Otley said. “Keep the chains moving and score in the red zone.”
