Providence Football Frustrated by Fakery

A fake is something that isn't real. Loyola Academy’s football team is for real.

Still, it took a bit of trickery to help the Ramblers deflate during Friday night's Chicago Catholic Blue conference opener in New Lenox.

Loyola Academy (4-0, 1-0) perfectly executed a pair of fake punts. Both kept drives alive, forcing the Providence defense to stay on the field.

"That first one, if we watch the film, it was actually an illegal receiver downfield," Providence coach Mark Coglianese said. "He was covered, but the refs missed it.

"The second one, I don't know. They caught us off guard. Normally they do the roll-off punt, the soccer-style punt, and we contained that pretty well the first time. They went away from it, but got us with the run up the middle."

Loyola senior Dylan Brennan threw an 11-yard pass to Daveed Carter to give the Ramblers a first down late in the opening quarter on the first fake punt. The Celtics kept the Ramblers from punching it into the end zone, but Will Cushwa drilled a 27-yard field goal 9 seconds into the second quarter to make it 3-0.

"We like to try to do it every game, see if it's open and try to spread some defenses out," Brennan said. "If it's there, you take it; if it's not, you kick the ball. The nice thing about being a receiver is being able to handle the ball and do these things."

Providence (3-1, 0-1) was down 23-6, but its defense had made a couple of big plays to force the Ramblers into a fourth-and-long. A penalty against the Celtics shortened the distance for the first down and the Ramblers took advantage. This time on the fake punt, Brennan used his legs, scampering for a huge 27-yard gain.

"It's nice to keep the (opposing) defense on their heels and out on the field," Brennan said. "The nice thing is (our) offense is off the field and then right back on, and then the (opposing) defense has to stay out there."

All those extra minutes on the field added up for a Providence defense that had the tough task of trying to slow Loyola quarterback Malcolm Weaver (151 passing yards, 57 rushing yards, 2 TDs), running back William Palivos (14 carries, 103 yards, TD), and wide receivers Marquese Martin-Hayes (6 catches, 51 yards) and Conner Person (5 catches, 65 yards).

"They're a very well-coached team and they executed very well on both sides of the ball," Providence coach Mark Coglianese said. "We do stop them there and they get the fake punt so they wore us down defensively."

The road doesn't get any easier for the Celtics, as the conference schedule is in full swing and St. Rita is up next. Yep, and St. Rita is also very real and really, really good, too.