Big ‘Dose’ of TDs lead Marquette past Aurora Central Catholic

OTTAWA – The light that’s been burning in Marquette Academy’s football team since the second half of the Week 4 game against Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington was still glowing bright in Friday’s Week 7 clash with Aurora Central Catholic.

And the glowing filament at the heart of that light was Grant Dose.

The junior fullback was statistically a one-man wrecking Cru against ACC, bursting his way to 184 yards and five touchdowns – all in the first half – to pace MA to a 47-14 homecoming victory at Gould Stadium.

Dose was not the lone shining light for the Crusaders, whose backfield toted the ball 33 times for a whopping 434 rushing yards to lock up their fifth win in seven games this season.

The decision sets the Cru up nicely to make the playoffs for the 12th consecutive year. While Seneca has clinched the Chicagoland Prairie Conference’s automatic bid, Marquette should likely be able to grab an at-large berth with its 28 playoff points it had heading into this week and has two games remaining to get a clinching sixth win.

“It all started against Dwight,” MA coach Tom Jobst said. “We looked a little weak at the front end of that one, but in the second half we started gaining steam, and we just haven’t quit gaining steam. Our practices have been better, our hustle’s been better, we’re just doing all the little things well and – knock on wood – we’re healthy.

“It’s a mental and an emotional thing. I think the light clicked on, and they understand now that you can’t go half speed and expect to win. Tonight we had guys at the ball on every play, and that’s what you have to have. …

“It was a great night for us.”

It took just over two minutes for Marquette to seize the lead, with a 13-yard run by Payton Gutierrez (seven carries, 52 yards) and an 18-yarder by Jaxsen Higgins (four carries, 55 yards) setting up Dose’s first TD, a 32-yard burst that with the first of five PAT kicks by Sam Mitre made the score 7-0.

After a fumble recovery by Blayden Cassel, Dose added a 6-yard score. Following a turnover on downs by ACC, he got his third TD of the opening quarter, this time from 7 yards away.

Marcus Baker (two carries, 64 yards) interrupted his teammate’s big night with a 57-yard touchdown gallop of his own before Dose registered a 57-yard romp.

He then capped his night with his most amazing score, a third-and-1 dive into the line that with his teammates’ push went for 15 yards before he slipped out of the pile and sprinted to a 66-yard touchdown.

“Have I ever scored five touchdowns before? Not even close,” Dose said with a grin. “This felt great. Everything was crisp, the blocks were all there, and everything went very well for us up front.”

In between the teams’ fumbling away the running-clock third period, Chargers quarterback Grant Bohr netted the visitors’ two scores, both on 25-yard runs, before sophomore Koby Clark put the icing on the cake for the Cru with a 4-yard scoring sweep.

Bohr finished with 10 carries for 57 yards and completed 4-of-10 passes for another 60 yards on the night. Trey Seifrid also netted 54 yards on 13 tries, accounting for most of ACC’s total yards for the game.

“Marquette is just a sound football team,” said ACC coach Christian Rago, his club now 3-4 with a pair of winnable games remaining, “and as we look back at our assignments, there were times we left key guys at the point of attack unblocked or they got off the block. … Obviously, I was not happy with the way we came out, but this group battled, they listened at halftime and came out and continued to play hard.

“We’re still in the hunt. We just have to keep battling and keep getting better each week. It’s cliché to say, but it’s true. We’re right on the cusp of everything.”