Story by Parker Cassidy
The Monmouth-Roseville Titans (9-1) were on the road today for Round 2 of the IHSA Class 3A Playoffs, taking on the undefeated Bloomington Central Catholic Saints (10-0).
With a quarterfinal berth on the line, the Saints elected to receive the opening kickoff, and it paid off as they marched down the field and scored on their first drive. The two-point try was good, giving Bloomington Central an early 8-0 lead.
Monmouth-Roseville answered right back. Facing a 4th and 2 on their own 31-yard line, the Titans went for it and converted. On the next play, Elijah Noel broke through on a misdirection and took it 68 yards to the house. Nick Huston powered in the two-point conversion to tie the game 8-8 with 4:34 left in the first quarter.
The Titans’ defense followed with a big stop, forcing a short punt that set them up near midfield. Monmouth-Roseville stayed true to its smashmouth style, chewing up nearly eight minutes of clock before Huston punched in a one-yard touchdown on 4th and goal. The Titans led 14-8 with 7:48 left in the half.
Bloomington Central answered quickly, converting a huge 4th and 27 on a deep pass to the one-yard line, then scoring a play later to go up 15-14. But the Titans refused to back down. Monmouth-Roseville drove the length of the field in just three minutes, capped by a five-yard touchdown run from Landon Montroy. Another successful two-point try made it 22-15 with 45 seconds left in the half. The defense stood tall again, stopping the Saints at the five as time expired.
Out of the break, the Titans went right back to work. Huston found the end zone again for his second touchdown of the game, and Noel’s kick made it 29-15. Monmouth-Roseville bled nearly eight minutes off the clock on the drive, then followed with another massive defensive stop on 4th and 5 to keep control.
Bloomington Central finally broke through with a 35-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 29-22, then added another quick score on a 41-yard reverse to make it 29-28. A missed extra point kept the score right there with just over five minutes to play.
The Titans’ offense took the field with a one-point lead and the game in their hands. They executed perfectly, converting multiple third downs before kneeling it out at the Saints’ seven-yard line.
Monmouth-Roseville earns a huge 29-28 win over Bloomington Central Catholic, ending the Saints’ perfect season. With the victory, the Titans advance to the IHSA Class 3A Quarterfinals and set a new school record with 10 wins in a single season.
Monmouth-Roseville will hit the road next week to face the top-seeded (11-0) Richmond-Burton Rockets. Kickoff is set for 2:00 on Saturday, November 15th. R-B knocked off Aurora Central Catholic 57-7 in their second round match up.
For the replay of the WMOI radio broadcast of the game, click HERE
***Images courtesy of Monmouth-Roseville Titans Facebook Page***
