Roncalli wins battle in trenches, beats Brebeuf 20-14
By CLIFF BRUNT
ISL Editor
Indianapolis Roncalli coach Bruce Scifres knew who could handle the pressure when the Rebels needed to hold Indianapolis Brebeuf at bay late in Friday night’s game — his senior-laden offensive line.
Right tackle Cal Scifres, right guard Noah Smith, center Luke Jahnke, left guard Brian Sullivan and left tackle Hank Kiesel paved the way as Roncalli ran off the final three minutes in a 20-14 victory. Roncalli ran seven times for 37 yards on its final possession before taking a knee and leaving Brebeuf’s LeVante’ Bellamy, one of the state’s most explosive players, helpless.
“This senior group of O-linemen has worked incredibly hard,” Scifres said. “They’re a good cohesive unit. I think they look forward to an opportunity to win the game for us. We talk to them all the time about carrying the team on their backs. Their shoulders are broad enough to do that. They stepped up and stayed on blocks.”
Roncalli running back Colin McManama said the Rebels, ranked No. 8 in Class 4A, needed the win over Brebeuf, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A. He did his part by running 25 times for 98 yards and a touchdown.
“I think it was a really good statement victory,” he said. “It really shows what our team’s made of.”
Scifres said Smith stepped in admirably at right guard for Mike Mullin, a senior who didn’t play because of a concussion. Roncalli had the ball for more than 28 of the 48 minutes, leaning on that line that averages 264 pounds per man.
“Their value to the team is immeasurable,” Scifres said. “Their ability to control the line of scrimmage — the two keys for us were to maintain possession of the ball and move the chains down the field and keep a very dynamic offense from Brebeuf off the field.”
Roncalli quarterback Cam Smock passed for 112 yards and a touchdown, ran for a 24-yard touchdown that provided the difference in the fourth quarter and even caught a 27-yard pass. On the game’s final drive, Smock ran for 18 yards on a third-and-7 from the Roncalli 38, allowing the Rebels to avoid punting to the Braves.
“Cam, he’s just a playmaker all around,” McManama said. “He’s a great leader. Really, he just knows what to do when he has the ball in his hands.”
Roncalli led 14-0 before Brebeuf got on the board with a 2-yard run by quarterback Aaron Banks in the final minute of the first half.
Bellamy, who entered the game with 775 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns in five games, was bottled up for most of the game. He had rushed for just 23 yards on nine carries before going untouched for a 47-yard touchdown in the third quarter that tied the game at 14.
Roncalli answered with Smock’s touchdown run, but a low snap on the extra point led to an incomplete pass, and the Rebels led by just six.
Brebeuf drove to the Roncalli 15-yard line, but on third-and-2 and fourth-and-2, Banks threw incomplete passes. Scifres was fine with Bellamy not touching the ball on either play.
“Any play where he doesn’t have the ball in his hands, we’re thankful,” Scifres said. “He’s an outstanding player. I thought our defense did a nice job of keeping him in check.”
Brebeuf got one more chance, but Banks was sacked on a third-down play with just over three minutes to play and the Braves never got the ball back.
Bellamy finished with 102 yards on 14 carries.
“He’s a fine athlete and a fine football player,” Scifres said. “Our goal all week long was to contain him. Just contain him. Try to wrap him up. He’s a guy, once he finds a seam, nobody’s going to catch him. He’s as fast as any kid in the state. Our goal was to try to keep him bottled up and contained, have him turn in, not give him the edge, where we could have other people pursue and get ahold of him.”
Scoring summary
Brebeuf 0 7 7 0 — 14
Roncalli 7 7 0 6 — 20
R — David Holtkamp 6 pass from Cam Smock (David Dickey kick)
R — Colin McManama 1 run (Dickey kick)
B — Aaron Banks 2 run (Drew Bevelhimer kick)
B — LeVante’ Bellamy 47 run (Bevelhimer kick)
R — Smock 24 run (pass failed)
