Marist has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the St. Rita Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Marist's favor is that they have now posted big point totals in their last five contests.
With a playoff game on the line, Marist rose to the challenge on Thursday. They didn't even let Niles Notre Dame onto the board and left with a 34-0 win. Given Marist's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 30th, while Niles Notre Dame is ranked 112th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
John McAuliffe was his usual excellent self, rushing for 128 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. The team also got some help courtesy of Owen Winters, who rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, after only ten points in their last matchup, St. Rita made sure to put some points up on the board against Marian Catholic on Friday. St. Rita breezed by Marian Catholic at home to the tune of 35-0. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as St. Rita just coasted through the last quarter.
St. Rita's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Derrick Stewart, who rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns. Walter Jones did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 117 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Marist's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-5. They've been dominating during the matchups in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 29.67 points. As for St. Rita, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
