By Bobby Narang
The sense of urgency hit the Nazareth Academy High School football team after the conclusion of week seven Saturday, Oct. 8.
The Roadrunners have become a playoff staple under the direction of head coach Tim Racki over the past decade.
Missing the playoffs is not an option, even if the roster is filled with inexperienced players at the start of the season. The program provided current University of Michigan starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy who helped guide Nazareth to the 2018 Class 7A State championship and a second-place finish in 2019.
After the Roadrunners defeated Chicago Leo to record their third victory of the season and keep their faint playoff hopes alive Thursday, Oct. 6, Racki reversed course from his traditional routine and awarded his players a gift, three days off.
“I gave them Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off, so when they came back Monday they would feel a completed rejuvenation and have a spring in their step,” Racki said. “I don’t think I’ve ever done that.”
It worked.
A 42-6 triumph over Montini Catholic put the Roadrunners, 4-4 overall, squarely at .500 entering the Friday, Oct. 21 regular season finale at Benet. They are 0-2 in conference play. (See page 9.)
Nazareth senior linebacker/tight end Braden Ferguson said the team took to heart Racki’s decision to trust them prior to the Montini game. The Roadrunners played a tough schedule in the first six weeks, losing four of their first six games to Lemont, 8-0, Marist, 5-3, Notre Dame, 6-2, and St. Rita, 6-2.
“Coach gave us those three days to relax before the Montini game, and he said we had to come back to practice Monday with tenacity and effort,” Ferguson said. “We had the best week of practice I’ve seen from this team by far. The break definitely helped put us in the playoff mindset and got us ready mentally and physically to win out the rest of the year.
“Our team has shown a sense of urgency after our loss to St. Rita. We started to realize we had to start playing out best, not only on Friday nights but at practice in order to keep our playoff hopes alive. Playing with grit and 100% effort throughout practice has paid off with our big win against Montini.”
Ferguson said the Roadrunners are motivated to beat Benet. Less than two years ago, in the Spring COVID-19 season, Benet defeated the Roadrunners, 3-0, in the final game of the shortened season. A year ago, Nazareth gained a measure of revenge in a 34-8 triumph at Benet in week nine to notch the all-important fifth victory. The Roadrunners won their next two playoff games before falling, 28-17, to eventual 5A State champion Fenwick in a quarterfinal. Nazareth is looking to follow the same formula to reach the playoffs.
“After our win Friday, we’re starting to realize how special of a team we really are, but we have to play with 100% effort every single play,” Ferguson said. “We’re ready to make a run in the playoffs, but our first step is to make the playoffs first, which starts with Benet.”
Racki said the Roadrunners have shown tremendous growth since the tough first month of the season.
“We feel pretty good as a team,” Racki said. “The first six weeks of the season was a tough stretch, with all of the teams ranked. It was a very demanding schedule for a young team, but I’ve seen growth every week. We just played our most complete game of the season against Montini.
“We played well in all three phases and with our execution. In the past, we were not able to piece together all four quarters of a game, in terms of execution. We would have penalties at inopportune times, ball security issues and other things. You could really see their growth this past week. They’ve had a huge sense of urgency, and are really starting to take a big time ownership. This week, they were only guaranteed four days of practice and one game, while last week it was eight practices and two games. They started to feel that finality and became focused.”
Racki said the defense has spearheaded the turnaround, allowing just 13 points in the last two weeks. Nazareth has yet to score more than 24 points in a game this season.
“Our defense has been our anchor,” he said. “They’ve really been consistently well, like they did on Friday night. It helps our offensive and defensive and special teams unit.”
Racki said Ferguson has been a standout contributor for the defense this season.
“Braden is a big-game linebacker,” Racki said. “He’s been a two-way starter for us. He’s extremely smart, in the classroom and on the field. He’s a workhorse. He’s not really a vocal guy, but he brings it every day.”