Kolzow keys comeback
Michael Kolzow made one big play early and another one late, and that was enough for Naperville Central.
Kolzow ran an interception back 38 yards for a touchdown in the game’s opening minutes and picked off a pass in the end zone with 12 seconds left to seal No. 9 Naperville Central’s 27-21 victory over No. 8 Marist Saturday night in Naperville.
Naperville Central will play No. 4 Loyola (12-1) for the 8A title next Saturday night at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb.
It’s the fourth trip to state for Naperville Central (10-3), which is seeking its second IHSA title and first since 1999. The Redhawks were second in 1995 and 2001.
“The coaches put me in a great spot,” said Kolzow, who also caught a touchdown pass to help Naperville rally from a 21-7 deficit. “We knew what they were running before they did it.”
It was an up-and-down game, much like Naperville Central’s roll- er-coaster season. The Redhawks started 5-0 before losing three consecutivegames and finishing fourth in the DuPage Valley Conference.
But now they’re the last DVC team standing, in the last weekend of the season.
Naperville Central took a 7-0 lead on Kolzow’s pick-six, but then gave up 21 points in a row to trail by 14 midway through the third quarter.
That was followed by a gameending 21-0 run, capped by Jake Kolbe’s one-yard touchdown run with 1:23 left and Kolbe’s conversion pass to Emmanuel Rugamba. Kolbe was 19 of 26 passing for 225 yards.
Marist had one last chance and marched from its own 36 to the Naperville 23 before Kolzow’s final pick clinched the win.
Naperville’s comeback started late in the third when Nolan Davis ran two yards for a score with 1:56 left. A blocked PAT kick left the score at 21-13.
After a Marist punt, Naperville scored on Kolbe’s 12-yard pass to Kolzow with 9:45 left to make it 21-19.
“I felt the momentum switch on that drive,” said Kolzow, who had six catches for 98 yards. “They were still ahead by the scoreboard, but we felt it was our game to win.”
Naperville then forced a punt, which was touched by a Naperville player. But the ball went into the end zone for a touchback before Marist could recover for what would have been a touchdown.
“The explanation I received was even though it hit their player it was a dead ball even though we recovered,” Marist coach Pat Dunne said. “We tell our guys all the time about things you can control and things you can’t.”
Naperville then went 80 yards on 18 plays, twice converting on fourth down, for Kolbe’s go-ahead score.
Marist (9-4) broke a 7-7 halftime tie with a pair of short scoring runs by Peter Andreotti (26 carries, 106 yards), from two yards and one yard. Andreotti also had a one-yard TD run in the first quarter.