Class 2A IHSA playoffs: Seneca excels in all 3 phases in 47-14 win at Rockridge

EDGINGTON – For the second straight week in the Class 2A playoffs, the Seneca football team was solid on both offense and defense.

However, on Saturday afternoon against host Rockridge, the Fighting Irish special teams also put together quite a day.

Seneca recovered kickoffs that the Rockets failed to field in both the second and third quarters, and both times turned them into points in a 47-14 victory.

“Our special teams came up big for us,” said Seneca coach Terry Maxwell. “We weren’t thinking onside kicks on either one we recovered, the kids just took advantage of those situations. We have a lot of sophomores that play special teams, and they love to hit, they hustle, and they make plays.”

Seneca (11-0) – which matched the most program wins in a season since 2000, the last quarterfinal appearance for the Irish – will now host Wilmington at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Wilmington, which topped Tri-Valley 42-14 in their second-round game, suffered its only loss this season in Week 1, 27-21 to Seneca.

After forcing a loss on downs on Rockridge’s first possession, Nathen Neal took Seneca’s opening offensive play 65 yards for a touchdown.

The Rockets responded, taking a 7-6 lead on a 3-yard pass from freshman quarterback Cullen Schwigen to Owen Stelle.

But from there it was all Seneca.

Irish junior QB Paxton Giertz found Lane Provance for a 5-yard TD pass late in the opening quarter.

“Our offense is obviously built around the run,” Giertz said. “But when a team like Rockridge, who is a very good team, brings all 11 defenders up near the line of scrimmage, you know the pass is going to be open. It was just a matter of our coaches calling the pass when they felt it was the right time, and then on me to make it count.”

The Rockets (9-2) then went four-and-out, and Neal scored on a 2-yard plunge to finish off a nine-play, 73-yard drive to make it 18-7 with just under four minutes to play in the opening half.

Wyatt Biffany came up with the ensuing kickoff at the Rockridge 37 when the return man failed to cover the bouncing football. Four plays later, Nathan Grant ran it in from the 2 to make it 24-7 at the half.

Seneca made it 32-7 on a 2-yard TD run by Asher Hamby in the second half.

“This is an offense where you can go a few plays without picking up much, but we all know we are just a couple blocks away from one of the guys breaking loose,” Seneca senior offensive tack Casey Clennon said. “Today there were a few times where we didn’t move the ball as well as we would have liked, but then the very next play was a big gain.

“That’s just the nature sometimes of how this offense works.”

Nate Othon recovered the next kickoff untouched by the Rockets, and six plays later Giertz found Neal with a 7-yard TD pass to make it 40-7.

“The key coming in was, were we going to be able to run the ball effectively against their front seven that is pretty solid,” Maxwell said. “We knew it would be a battle, and we knew we might have to pass a little. We had to make some adjustments throughout the game, but the kids on our offensive line did a great job.

“Some people may think the power-T is a dinosaur offense, but it can be very flexible. I think we showed that today.”

Giertz (3-of-5, 33 yards) added a 6-yard TD run early in the fourth to begin a running clock, while Rockridge’s Connor Deem scored from the 6 with just 17 seconds left.

Seneca finished with 356 rushing yards on 43 carries – led by Neal with 108 on 13, Hamby 103 on 16, Grant 58 on 6 and Giertz 42 on 7.

Rockridge finished with 223 total yards on 49 plays, with Alex Zarlatanes posting 17 carries for 96 yards, and Schwigen finishing 7 of 18 for 96 yards in the air.

“(Seneca) looked good on film, but honestly, we weren’t ready for them to be that physical and dominant up front on both sides of the ball,” Rockridge coach Sam Graves said. “They had our linemen looking like they were on skates. We’ve been fortunate to be the physically dominant team in our games this season, but that was not the case today, and it showed right from their first offensive play of the game.

“They controlled the line of scrimmage, and we didn’t make a couple plays on special teams. That was the game, plain and simple.”