The Trojan Horse: Isaac Ignites JCA Football Team

CHICAGO – Ever since Joliet Catholic’s season opener, weekdays have been frustrating for Ty Isaac. The USC recruit reluctantly spent as much time in the trainer’s room as he did running on the football field.

Last week, however, was a turning point as the 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior wingback made it Monday through Friday like a blue-collar worker – finding his rhythm and flow again in the tedium of practice.

“Being out there for the full days, being involved with everything and seeing what the calls are going to be, what the pickups are going to be and where we had to be,” Isaac said. “It makes a difference.”

That it does.

From his second carry Saturday at Hanson Stadium, a 31-yard romp, Isaac was back being the ignition key for Joliet Catholic’s high-octane offensive engine. He rushed for a season-high 287 yards on 23 carries and scored four touchdowns in a 49-13 East Suburban Catholic Conference win over St. Patrick.

Despite trailing 13-7 after one quarter, with St. Patrick (3-3, 1-2) capitalizing on a 96-yard kickoff return to start the game and an 80-yard bubble screen for another touchdown, Joliet Catholic (4-2, 3-1) strung together four straight Isaac TDs to outscore the Shamrocks 42-0 in a dominant final three quarters.

While junior fullback Michael Ivlow (12 carries, 70 yards), junior wingback Nick Pastore (5 carries, 63 yards) and junior fullback Ben Hart also scored for the Hilltoppers, Isaac was the proverbial man among boys. He entered the game with 283 yards on 45 carries and nearly perfectly doubled his season total.

“I’m a runner,” Ivlow said. “But Ty Isaac is the best player I’ve met and known, and I’m proud to be his blocker. He does a great job of running and finding the holes. Coach Sharp said St. Pat’s is one of the best teams we’ve played so far, but with Ty at 100 percent, we’re almost unstoppable, I believe.”

“People forget that our offense is based on timing and you have to work on the timing,” JCA coach Dan Sharp said of the benefit of having Isaac available for a full week of practice. “I still don’t think he’s near 100 percent, but we’re getting about 60 percent Ty and that’s better than anything else you can get.”

It translated into the Hilltoppers’ offense, particularly the ground game, looking better than at any other time this season. JCA gained a grand 551 yards on 60 plays, including 508 yards rushing on 53 attempts.

Afterward, Sharp pointed to the flip-flopping of junior J.B. Butler and Brody Fay from left tackle to left guard and the additional playing time of 6-4, 305-pound DeAndre Ford at left tackle with allowing the Hillmen to implode the seams that saw Isaac explode for 176 yards on 13 carries during the first half.

“We started pulling Butler at guard,” said Sharp, crediting the coaching of veteran offensive line assistant Dave Douglas. “Everything was getting clogged up so fast in there and it gave Ty a little more separation. He read the blocks and Butler moves … he doesn’t slow up in the hole. He gets right up in it.

"We also had a great defensive effort. Two big plays, we have to stay away from those down the road, but our defense is building on momentum from stopping the two-point conversion against Nazareth.”

Indeed, the Hillmen defense ended up allowing a mere 217 yards on 40 plays, with only 133 yards on the closing 36 plays. With four three-and-outs, the defense pitched a shutout in the last three quarters.

Making things happen out of a 3-4 and modified 3-3-5 formations, junior safety Zach Jackovich tallied his fourth interception of the year, senior cornerback Grant Harrison had a tackle for loss, junior defensive back Jackson Shanklin forced a fumble and senior defensive tackle Max Terlep recovered a fumble.

“We have a couple of young guys but everybody is on the same page now and we’re ready to go for playoff time,” said Harrison, wearing a cast in his second game back from a broken hand. “We’re getting extremely better on the field. We started slow from the first game but the only way to go was up.”

Don’t underestimate the return of a healthy Isaac and Harrison for JCA, although ailing leading rusher Tyler Reitz, a senior wingback, was held to 5 yards on four carries and did not play in the second half.

Is that the real Isaac?

“That’s him,” Harrison said, smiling about the overwhelming play of JCA’s Trojan Horse. “He’s back.”

JCA’s comeback began with Ivlow’s 10-yard burst and first of seven PAT kicks by sophomore Brian Bravo for a 7-7 tie with 8:41 left in the first quarter. With 5:53 remaining in the second quarter, Isaac then used an NFL juke to slip into the corner of the end zone on a 26-yard run for a 14-13 advantage.

Following the blocks of Butler and junior tight end JordanJones, Isaac scored on a 46-yard run with 2:36 left for the 21-13 halftime lead. Blocks by Ivlow and senior wingback/fullback Nathan Dollinger helped Isaac score on runs of 65 and 7 yards, respectively, in the third quarter for leads of 28-13 and 35-13.

“It’s a fast track,” Isaac said of the beleaguered Hanson Stadium. “You get out into the open here and the odds are you’re going to make some big plays. After the fourth or fifth carry, I was in the groove.”

By the fourth quarter, Isaac and the rest of the Hilltopper regulars handed the baton to Pastore and Hart for a pair of 2-yard TD runs. But more than the morning kickoff and afternoon finish dawned on Isaac.

“For me, I think a lot of it comes with practice and knowing the timing,” he said. “I was able to practice all week, I think I’m getting closer to 90 or 95 percent, and it was just a lot easier from that aspect.”

NOTES: Ivlow replaced Reitz as the punter due to injury and uncorked kicks of 65 and 52 yards … Jones finished as JCA’s leading receiver with 3 catches for 36 yards but had a 35-yarder called back due to a penalty … Senior quarterback Craig Slowik finished a solid 4-of-7 for 43 yards but, moreover, unleashed a jaw-dropping 33-yard run on a bootleg … Sophomore wingback Nick Borgra made his varsity debut and gained 14 yards on three carries … Junior quarterback Nick Morrison added 32 yards on three carries.