INDIANAPOLIS
After limping to the regular-season finish line with four straight losses against top-flight competition, Roncalli’s football team righted itself in Friday’s Class 4A sectional opener.
The host Royals’ defense dominated, holding Shortridge to 46 yards total offense and never allowing the Blue Devils to cross the Roncalli 42-yard line.
Meanwhile, the Royals’ offense took a while to heat up, but eventually wore Shortridge down, scoring three touchdowns in the game’s final 13 minutes en route to a decisive 42-0 win.
The victory vaults Roncalli (4-6) into next week’s semifinal at Mooresville, which defeated Indianapolis Washington in its first-round matchup.
Roncalli’s losses to end the regular season came against Brebeuf Jesuit, Kentucky power Louisville Male, defending Class 4A champion East Central and perennial power Cathedral.
Royals coach Eric Quintana wasn’t surprised with the team’s effort, given what he saw in practice this week.
“Defensively, the guys played awesome,” he said. “It was a great week of preparation. Offensively, we’ve got a young, inexperienced group up front that just has to see it a hundred million times. When we saw it and got a feel for it … we had an overall complete game.”
Roncalli’s defense intercepted two Shortridge passes (Eli Lauck and Casey Newett), recovered a fumble that Nathan Turner returned 17 yards for a touchdown and collected four sacks.
“Our week of preparation was great overall,” said Roncalli linebacker J.J. Prendergast, who finished with four tackles and one of those four sacks. “Our coaches knew what they were doing, the players followed what the coaches said, and we came out and executed.”
Take away a muffed Roncalli punt in the second quarter and a turnover on downs by the Royals that gave Shortridge the ball at the Royals’ 48, and the Blue Devils (3-6) didn’t move the ball beyond their own 46-yard line. The Blue Devils had just 7 yards from scrimmage at halftime.
“Our blitzes hit home, and our pursuit to the football was top-notch,” Prendergast said. “We take confidence out of this. We got our butt kicked by a couple of really good teams, so this win is big for our confidence, and we’ll carry that into next week.”
Offensively, Zach Dozier and Henry Adams each scored two rushing touchdowns for the Royals. Adams led Roncalli with 82 yards on just nine carries.
“We weren’t preparing and executing at a championship level,” Quintana said, referring to the four-game losing streak. “This week, we took a step forward. We’ve still got a ways to go, but (Friday) was a great win. The preparation was good, and the execution was good all week.”
