By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
NOBLESVILLE – All of the pieces were in place for what became a tremendous fall atmosphere for Guerin Catholic’s football Homecoming game. The fans were out in full force tailgating prior to the game and filled the stands just before kickoff.
At halftime, seniors Katie Scott and Peyton Lemberg would be named homecoming queen and king, respectively.
Everything went right in all facets of the game for Guerin Catholic, as they shut out Terre Haute North on Homecoming, 42-0.
On the first drive, the Golden Eagles made quick work with a short field. Starting at the Patriots’ 45, it didn’t take long. Peter Rooney ran for four yards, followed by sophomore Aiden Ferry catching a 16-yard pass from Ryan Zimmerman. On the third play, Rooney found room up the middle and ran 25-yards untouched into the end zone for a touchdown for an early 7-0 edge.
After the Patriots turned the ball over on downs at their own 44, Guerin wasted no time in capitalizing on another opportunity to score. Sophomore Jack Linden got the call three times on the short series. His third carry would be for a 26-yard scoring scamper and a 14-0 lead with 3:19 left in the first.
“Both are good quality backs. They have gotten much better throughout the season. They’re both physical, take care of the ball and are good downhill runners. But, the offensive line was obviously making a lot of that happen, too,” said Guerin Catholic head coach Tom Dilley.
North running back Josiah Bennett fumbled with Nick Bauman recovering the ball at the Patriot 39 and in great field position once again.
This drive would be Rooney’s on the ground. The senior running back ran five times for 25 on the way to his second score of the night, from two yards out, pushing it to a three-score advantage, 21-0.
Forcing Terre Haute North to punt, punt returner Aaron Keller nearly ran back the punt, but was knocked out of bounds at the Patriot 26.
On the first play, Ryan Zimmerman connected with senior Luke Baldwin for a 26-yard touchdown strike in the right corner of the end zone, extending the lead to 28-0 with 8:49 left until halftime.
“Along with the receivers on the outside, we’ve got everything built in. Where, if they overload the box, we can spit the ball out. Everybody’s responsible for making sure that those positive running opportunities were there,” continued Dilley.
Another North punt and another opportunity to put points on the board for the Golden Eagles.
Jack Linden would find the end zone for the second time of the night for Guerin’s fifth touchdown, this one from nine yards away, giving the GC a 35-0 comfortable lead at halftime.
As much as the Guerin Catholic offense excelled all night, in a game where the opponent is held scoreless, the defense is obviously doing everything right.
“Coaches did a nice job of keeping the game plan simple and letting our guys be loose and free, flying around and having a lot of confidence in what they’re doing. And, the kids executed the defense pretty well,” stated Dilley.
Executing on defense is an understatement. On 34 offensive plays, Guerin allowed the Patriots to gain just 70 total yards of offense and only nine rushing yards.
The Golden Eagles put together one more solid drive that would put this game away. The entire second half had a running clock.
Zimmerman would give it one last effort for a second passing TD and it couldn’t have been a better result.
The senior quarterback found junior receiver Hayden Cler in the front left corner of the end zone for a one-handed grab to score from 13-yards. Freshman kicker James Hokanson booted the extra point for what became the final score of 42-0.
“He (Zimmerman) was clean most of the night. A lot of the balls that he threw were actually called run plays. It was favorable on the outside and he took advantage of what he was supposed to do, but he delivered, and executed real well and the receivers on the outside made some good plays. We know how good Ryan is, and can be and I thought he played well tonight,” said Dilley.
The Golden Eagles (6-2) proved why they stand firm as No. 2 in Class 3A. Guerin Catholic hits the road at Culver Academy (3-5) to finish the regular season next Friday.
Jack Linden led the Guerin ground attack with 110 yards on 16 carries and scored twice. Leading rusher Peter Rooney ran nine times for 69 yards and a pair of TDs. Zimmerman had another solid night in the pocket, completing 8-for-11 for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Malcolm Houze led the receiving corps with three catches and 65 yards, with Baldwin and Cler each scoring.
GUERIN CATHOLIC 42, TERRE HAUTE NORTH 0
Score by Quarters
Terre Haute North 0 0 0 0 – 0
Guerin Catholic 14 21 7 0 – 42
Team Stats THN GC
First Downs 4 15
By Rush 1 9
By Pass 3 6
By Penalty 0 0
Rushes-Yards 16-9 28-186
Yards Passing 61 138
Comp-Att-Int-TD 6-18-0-0 9-17-1-2
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties-Yards 8-65 4-35
Punts-Average 5-36.4 0-0.0
Scoring
First Quarter
8:58 – Peter Rooney 25-yard run (Peyton Butts kick)
3:19 – Jack Linden 27-yard run (Butts kick)
Second Quarter
11:25 – Rooney 3-yard run (Butts kick)
8:49 – Luke Baldwin 26-yard pass from Ryan Zimmerman (Butts kick)
2:22 – Linden 9-yard run (Butts kick)
Third Quarter
5:10 – Hayden Cler 3-yard pass from Zimmerman (Butts kick)
Guerin Catholic individual stats
Rushing: Linden 16-110, Rooney 9-69, Deklyn Frazier 3-7.
Passing: Ryan Zimmerman 8-11-133, Quentin Klee 1-6-5.
Receiving: Houze 3-65, Rooney 2-23, Baldwin 1-26, Aiden Ferry 1-16, Trevor Macey 1-5, Cler 1-3.