The Saint Patrick Shamrocks closed out a disappointing football season with a 40-21 loss at Marian Catholic on October 20. Saint Patrick jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but they couldn’t hold on. Marian’s Clifton Gordon was too much for the Shamrocks. Gordon rushed for 310 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries. The Shamrocks finished the season 2-7, missing the IHSA State Playoffs for only the second time in Head Coach Dan Galante’s six seasons at Saint Patrick.

The Shamrock defense stopped the Spartans on the opening drive of the game, and the wasted no time going to work. Kyle Dietz hit Wally Labuz for a 38-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage. Five plays later, Dietz connected with Tim Fogarty for a nine-yard touchdown to put the Shamrocks ahead by a score of 7-0. The Shamrock defense forced Marian into a three and out on their next possession, and Saint Patrick got the ball back at their own 38. Brian Ruiz broke off a spectacular, 53-yard run before being hauled down at the Spartans’ one-yard line. Two plays later, Ruiz scored on a one-yard plunge to make it 14-0 in favor of the Shamrocks.

The Spartans responded with 16-play, 65-yard drive that ate more than seven minutes off of the clock. Gordon carried 14 times for 58 yards, including a one-yard touchdown run, on the drive. The Shamrock offense continued to move the ball on their next drive, moving the ball inside the Spartans 10-yard line before the drive stalled with the Shamrocks facing fourth and one at the Marian eight-yard line. Brian Ruiz was stopped on fourth down, giving the ball to the Spartans on downs. On the Spartans’ first play from scrimmage, Steven Larsen forced a Gordon fumble, and Joe Daly recovered it for the Shamrocks at the Spartan 17. Three plays later, Ruiz fumbled the ball back to Marian at the Spartan 11, and Gordon took advantage of his second chance right away, breaking off an 89-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14. This sequence in which the ball changed hands three times in just over a minute, and the Spartans capitalized with a game-tying touchdown, would prove to be the turning point of the game. Each team threw one more interception before the game went to halftime tied at 14.

The Shamrocks went three and out on the opening drive of the second half, and Marian took the ball 59 yards on nine plays, with Gordon scoring from five-yards out to take a 21-14 lead. Dietz’s second interception gave the Spartans the ball at the Saint Patrick 34. The Spartans took advantage of the short field, scoring on a 17-yard Jack Krause pass to Mark Scott to make it 28-14. Matt Dee picked off a Dietz pass and returned it 50-yards for a touchdown on the Shamrocks’ next possession, for a 34-14 lead. Following a goal-line stand by the Shamrock defense, Dietz hit Wally Labuz on an 80-yard bomb down the right sideline, cutting the lead to 35-21 with 1:24 remaining in the fourth quarter. Marian got the ball at the Shamrock 49 on the ensuing on-side kick, and Gordon finished the scoring with a 46-yard touchdown up the middle.

Despite the final score, there were some positives for the Shamrocks. The offense had their biggest game of the year. Dietz completed 13 of 25 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Wally Labuz caught three passes for 131 yards and a score. Tim Fogarty caught the first touchdown pass of his career. Jack McKenna showed great concentration, hauling in a tipped pass for a 54-yard gain. Defensively, Larsen was everywhere, recording a career-high 19 tackles and intercepting a pass. Waleed Hamdan, Marty LaBelle, Bobby Polli, and David Giese all had six or more tackles for the Shamrocks.