Tivias Caldwell carries St. Francis to 21-13 win at IC Catholic Prep

ELMHURST – It is not easy filling the shoes of TyVonn Ransom.

But Tivias Caldwell is certainly trying.

With St. Francis all-conference and 1,360-yard rusher from a year ago sidelined due to injury, it was the sophomore Caldwell who picked up the slack in Friday’s 21-13 CCL/ESCC victory over IC Catholic Prep in Elmhurst.

Caldwell rushed for 141 yards on 27 attempts, his final carry of the night a 2-yard touchdown run that capped off a 12-play drive with 2:03 left after the host Knights had pulled to within a point. Caldwell toted the ball on nine of those plays as the Spartans (4-2, 1-1) took over seven minutes off the clock.

“The coaches told me that I had to step up,” Caldwell said. “They’ve been pushing me. I was a little nervous at first but I know I can do it. Once I get out on the field on Friday night, I’m just ready to go. I’m locked in.

“I believe in our talent as a team. I feel like we can go a long way. I believe we can do it. We just have to execute. When we lock in and we block and we all do our jobs, we win. I believe in our skill, we just need to do it all of the time.”

Brady Palmer also threw a pair of touchdown passes for the visitors, finishing 17-of-26 through the air for 264 yards. He connected with Zach Washington for a 44-yard TD on the opening possession of the game and later found Gavin Mueller for a 3-yard score.

Washington led all receivers with four catches for 120 yards while Dario Milivojevic tallied six receptions for 96 yards.

“He (Tivias) is getting better and better every week,” said St. Francis coach Bob McMillen, whose team lost on a last second Hail Mary to Providence last week. “He had a huge game for us. This is such a great rivalry so it’s always nice to compete against IC and get a win.

“I think we are a really explosive team.  Our quarterback can run and throw, we have an outstanding receiving corps and our defense can fly around and make plays. But as much as we (the coaching staff) can prepare these guys, this team needs to find their heart and energy and figure out what type of team they want to be.”

On the other side, the Knights (2-4, 0-2) now find themselves in a very unfamiliar position, needing to win out to extend their playoff streak. Jalen Banks returned a fumble 35-yards for a touchdown to knot the score at 7 in the first quarter and Foley Calcagno scored on a 4-yard run to pull ICCP within 14-13 late in the third.

Will Bryk threw for 138 yards and ran for 43 more. Nate Brown caught five passes for 48 yards and Dean Kemph had four catches for 30 yards while also intercepting a pair of passes. The home team had two long touchdowns called back by penalty one week after a potential late tying TD was also brought back against Marist.

“I don’t know how many times that can happen,” ICCP coach Bill Krefft said. “I thought that crew did a great job tonight but at some point, you have to let the kids play. Those are two great CCL teams that are nasty and we found a way to fight and stay in it. I love how they are fighting.”