This one was good for the hearts of the Joliet Catholic Hilltoppers.

And their playoff hopes.

JCA’s 30-27 victory over Providence before about 3,000 fans at Joliet Memorial Stadium won for them the Catholic League-East Suburban Catholic Orange title. But while 3-0 in the league is better than the Celtics’ 2-1, it’s the Hilltoppers’ 4-5 overall record that makes an appearance in the IHSA playoffs questionable until Week 9 is concluded.

“They battled, persevered through that,” Hilltoppers coach Jake Jaworski said. “I don’t even know (about what needs to happen for a playoff berth). The mindset coming in was just win the game – control what we can control. Then, whatever happens happens.

“Put it on the guys to give us a chance.”

That’s the best way to look at a contest where the Hilltoppers built a 30-7 lead with 5:26 remaining and then had to hold off the Celtics’ frantic rally, keyed by a pair of onside-kick recoveries and a pair of touchdown passes by backup quarterback Leo Stepski.

Hang on, the Hilltoppers did.

“This game, it’s personal every time we play them,” Hilltoppers quarterback Lucas Simulick said. “It just means something to beat them. Now we just hope our name is called.”

If not, the Catholic League playoffs could be an option.

Simulick set a personal record with a 95-yard run that set up Joliet Catholic’s last score, a 1-yard plunge by Derrick Pommato, which seemed superfluous with 5:26 remaining but turned out to set the winning margin. Simulick had 126 rushing yards on four carries and 106 in the air on a 8-of-18 showing.

Five of those receptions – including the opening touchdown, a 33-yard collaboration – were by Jayden Armstrong, whom Simulick trusts implicitly.

“I know he’s going to be open,” Simulick said. “I’ve just got to hit him.”

“We’ve been playing together since youth football, so we’ve got the chemistry, the connection,” Armstrong said. “That (final minutes) was nerve-wracking, very scary. But if we don’t get into the playoffs, it doesn’t mean anything.”

The Hilltoppers built a 13-7 halftime lead on the strength of a few good plays. Simulick’s actions stood out, first his 33-yard touchdown pass to Armstrong to cap the first drive, and later his 32-yard gambol down the right sideline to move the ball into Celtics territory.

A pair of Vinny DiNovo field goals, the second a 32-yarder to end the half, brought the Hilltoppers their other points. DiNovo would hit another and pile up 12 points.

Providence (6-3) needed only three plays to score on its fourth possession, the touchdown a 58-yard pass from Dominic Vita to Xavier Coleman, who was wide-open at the 15 and scooted into the end zone with 8:58 left in the half.

Vita was shaken up on Providence’s failed two-point conversion attempt after his 5-yard plunge with 3:58 to play. Providence coach Tyler Plantz said Vita got the air kicked out of him.

Stepski came in and did everything asked in guiding 49- and 41-yard drives off the successful onside kicks, then nearly did so again after Joliet Catholic’s last drive stalled.

“We weren’t finishing drives,” Plantz said of the first half. “And a couple big plays. It’ll be good teaching for us, especially going into the playoffs, but the big thing is the way they finished.

“A lot of teams would have called it in, but they battled and battled.”