The Nazareth Football team has had a season to remember. After seven conference games, with a 6-1 record the team has gone above and beyond what anyone has expected for them. Underestimated, the team worked all summer to become the talent we knew this school had coming. Although others may not have recognized until recently, this season has become one to talk about. With the wins over Benet, Marmion, St. Pats, Marist, Joliet Catholic, and Notre Dame, and a single loss to a talented top ranked 8A Carmel, this group of young men has become a threat to the East Suburban Catholic Conference. After the defeat of Marist, Naz was second in conference to the first place 5-0 Joliet Catholic, and beat out Carmel for the title after their loss to Wayzata. With a great season underway, there is a lot to come from this underdog team.

Many players have proven their talents and skills for the game this season. While players have shown they have always been great, new players are showing their true colors as well.

It has come to be impossible to talk about this Nazareth team without bringing up the name Rudy Romagnano. Throughout his years at Nazareth, he has shown his skills but this year he seems to have the strength to actually carry this team. His strength has grown beyond compare to the point that it seems impossible to take him down, along with growth in his speed, agility, and the natural talent he has always had.

We have seen other offensive skilled players exceed expectations also. Along with Rudy, Josh Moore, Kailum Ewing, Sean Maloney, and Aeneas White, have the speed and footwork to make this Nazareth offense a big problem for teams in the future. Quarterback, Sam Polous, is having a great season as well. With much QB experience and training, Sam is no newbie to the pressure, knowledge, and quick wit needed to be a varsity quarterback.  All are having amazing seasons! Also having a season to the records, Matthew Ramsey, starting kicker, has is some cases gotten the teams victories by being able to raise the score by himself. Ramsey is a huge asset to the team and is one of the most dependable players when it comes to consistency of good performance.

Our defense has been a hard side to crack. When going up against strong offensives, this D has shown they are not going anywhere this season. Week after week we have seen them hold back some amazing teams. With strong defensive backs, Kevin Curtin, Joey DeSimone, Phil Gaspari, and Kailum Ewing, this defense seems to always find full coverage of the ball. The D and O linemen, and linebackers have been a very important factor in the victories thus far. Players Bob McGivney, “Big Red” Bret Morris, Tony Urgo, Vinnie Raimondi, Pat Vitek, Mike Straface, Danny Callaghan, Tommy Grey, Malcom Watson, Jake Reynolds, Tyler Van Dahm, and Andrew Matcha will continue the strong defeats against the great teams they will play throughout the season.

On the offensive side of the ball things are constantly growing and adapting to figure out the best fits for this team. The defense has shown its diversity of players while being a talented unit. This team may have learned from previous years, but is so different than any other year of players.

Being an underdog was something this team had to get used to quickly. Going into game six of regular season, no one could have predicted what had happened. Going up against not only a team ranked number one in our conference but a team ranked number 5 in the state. Tough competitors, Joliet Catholic, proved they were not expecting to play a team as great as Nazareth. Not only did JCA’s coach Dan Sharp talk about how his “team wasn’t prepared for Nazareth’s defensive game plan,” but, it was obvious they had underestimated the team.

Within the first offensive possession of the game, all hopes of beating this strong JCA offense, seemed to be put on hold as the team watched their number one ball career, Rudy Romangano, limp off the field. Though many had thought this might crush the spirit and drive of the team, quiet the opposite happened.  Because of this injury, the team turned everything up a notch, especially the offense. Defensively, the team had been strong all games leading up to JCA, but offensively, this was the game we saw what Naz is really capable of. Nervously, the team continued with the spirit of Romangano in the game, but they knew what they had to do.

Keeping calm the coaching staff had to play smart and use their talent wisely. In an interview Coach Racki said “To get a victory on JCA’s home field, it’s a special moment,” followed by” I’m just happy for the kids, just how hard they work and that they could have a victory like this. That’s what makes it all worth it.” That night was not only magical but also historic being one of very few teams to ever beat the Hilltoppers at home, let alone on their homecoming night. Scheduling Roadrunners on their homecoming seems to be something the JCA team might regret.

This Hilltopper offense averaged 47 points a game but Nazareth was able to hold them to an under par game. Excellent performance by Josh Moore and fellow teammates helped Nazareth walk away with a 24-21 upset of JCA and finally the team seemed to get the attention of those around them.

After defesting Joliet’s Hilltoppers and other competitive teams, Nazareth was moved up to ranking number 12 in the state of Illinois. What seemed like a miracle had happened. After such an unbelievable defeat, the team now knows they are being looked at and also know people want to beat them. Slacking off or getting big heads is not in the agenda for this team.

While having a great start to the season, the team continues to grow and improve. Their brotherhood is shown both on and off the field and they have proven they are not just any other Nazareth football team. This team will never stop surprising us with their talents and we can’t wait to see what is to come. An underdog team is now starting to get recognized and is ready to give opponents great games. The possibilities of this team are endless thanks to great coaching staff, big heart, aggressive attitudes, and willingness to work as hard as they can. This team will continue to impress us. Good Luck Boys! Go Blue!