Providence’s gamble pays off, Celtics upset Richmond-Burton in Class 4A quarterfinals

NEW LENOX – Providence coach Tyler Plantz took a gamble to start the second half against Richmond-Burton.

The Celtics onside kicked and recovered the kickoff to start the third quarter, then punched in a touchdown for a 10-point lead.

That type of execution was the theme for the game as No. 13-seeded Providence defeated No. 1 Richmond-Burton 31-14 in their Class 4A playoffs quarterfinal game Saturday at Bishop Kaffer Stadium.

“Coach Plantz had some guts for that,” Celtics quarterback Lucas Proudfoot said. “We had a lot of momentum from that. It helped us a lot.”

Providence (8-4) drove 51 yards in eight plays and scored on running back Jamari Tribett’s 1-yard run. The Rockets (11-1) had trailed 10-7 at halftime, but never had possession with a chance to take the lead the rest of the game.

The Celtics will play No. 3 St. Francis (11-1) in next week’s semifinals. St. Francis beat Rochelle 35-16 in their quarterfinal Saturday.

R-B came up with a crucial stop in the second quarter on fourth-and-goal at its 1, then drove 99 yards to score. Wide receiver Jack Martens took a Jet sweep handoff and raced 55 yards for that touchdown.

Providence answered on the first play from scrimmage with Proudfoot hitting wide receiver Alex Gibson for a 61-yard touchdown, making it 10-7 at halftime.

“We thought we could take the ball down the field and were in a really good position at halftime,” R-B coach Mike Noll said. “Then, that happened. It was a good onside kick and we didn’t field it. We’ve spent more time on fielding kicks, punts and onside kicks this season than any season in my 40-year history (of coaching).

“It’s not like it was a surprise. We know. Unfortunately we didn’t make the play.”

The teams traded touchdowns, making it 24-14 with 9:28 remaining. R-B looked like it might score again as Martens broke open on a post route, but sophomore defensive back Gavin Hagan swooped in to intercept the ball just before it reached Martens.

“We thought we had that post down the field and he came out of nowhere,” Noll said.

It was the only incompletion of the day for Rockets quarterback Joe Miller, who was 9 of 10 for 98 yards.

“I play-actioned, turned around, Jack had him beat by 3 or 4 yards, it came out of my hand smooth and I thought it was going to be right in his breadbasket, but the corner made a great play,” Miller said. “I can’t hold my head too low about that. I did all that I can, he just made a great play.”

Plantz called Hagan a special player.

“It’s pretty incredible to think he’s just a sophomore,” Plantz said. “He loves the game, works hard, does all the right stuff. I shouldn’t be telling you this because I don’t want his head to get too big, but he’s a heck of a player it’s awesome to have him on our team.”

Proudfoot struck again, this time to Jack Tess, who caught a pass deep across the middle and took it 72 yards for the clinching score.

“The O-line blocked well, really good. We threw well,” Proudfoot said. “We were just hitting on all cylinders. Offense played great, defense played great. Special teams came in clutch.”

R-B was trying to reach the semifinals for a fourth consecutive season.

The Rockets could only manage 248 total yards of offense against Providence’s stout defense.

“We had ups and downs. We showed tremendous heart,” R-B wide receiver-linebacker Zach Smith said. “We stuck to it to the end. Some things just didn’t turn out in our favor. There’s nothing we can change about it now, we just have to embrace the moment.”

Class 4A Playoff Quarterfinal

Providence 31, Richmond-Burton 14

Richmond-Burton 0 7 7 0 – 14

Providence 3 7 7 14 – 31

First quarter

P–FG Sample 30, 3:46.

Second quarter

RB–Martens 55 run (Lehn kick), 4:39.

P–Gibson 61 pass from Proudfoot (Sample kick), 4:23.

Third quarter

P–Tribett 1 run (Sample kick), 7:56.

RB–Quentrall-Quezada 4 run (Lehn kick), 2:29.

Fourth quarter

P–Gibson 15 pass from Proudfoot (Sample kick), 9:28.

P–Tess 72 pass from Proudfoot (Sample kick), 5:53.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Richmond-Burton: Martens 3-55, Siegel 18-55, Quentrall-Quezada 10-31, Miller 2-8, Falasca 1-2, Team 1-minus 1. Totals: 35-150. Providence: Tribett 19-84, Santiago 6-35, Proudfoot 6-32, Tess 1-14, Snapp 4-12, Nickel 4-10, Team 1-minus 1. Totals 41-186.

PASSING–Richmond-Burton: Miller 6-7-1-98. Providence: Proudfoot 8-11-0-240.

RECEIVING–Richmond-Burton: Smith 4-54, Siegel 2-33, Quentrall-Quezada 1-7, Loveall 1-4. Providence: Gibson 3-86, Tess 2-106, Soltys 2-28, Picciolini 1-20.

TOTAL TEAM YARDS–Richmond-Burton 248, Providence 426.