April 29, 2024
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NewsTribune football notebook: ‘Just a rebound’ for L-P tight end Josh Senica

Cavaliers basketball standout makes first TD catch in win over Woodstock North

By Kevin Chlum
Members of the L-P football team celebrate a touchdown scored by Josh Senica during the game at Howard Fellows Stadium against Woodstock North on Sept. 8, 2023.

Members of the L-P football team celebrate a touchdown scored by Josh Senica during the game at Howard Fellows Stadium against Woodstock North on Sept. 8, 2023. (Kyle Russell for Shaw Local News Network)

Josh Senica has been a standout basketball player for La Salle-Peru throughout his high school career.

Last season, he was a NewsTribune First-Team All-Area pick as he averaged 17.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

This fall, he decided to go out for football as well after not playing since middle school.

Senica is playing outside linebacker and tight end for the Cavaliers.

In Friday’s 35-24 win over Woodstock North, the 6-foot-6 Senica showed how his height and basketball skills can translate well in football when L-P quarterback Brendan Boudreau lofted a pass toward the corner of the end zone where Senica leapt and caught it over a Thunder defender for a 13-yard touchdown.

“We had that play going all summer,” Boudreau said. “We were waiting to pull it out and that was a good time to do it, and he caught it. It was a good play.”

L-P coach Jose Medina said it’s nice to have a player with Senica’s athleticism and size to use as an offensive weapon.

“It’s designed for him,” Medina said about the TD play. “It’s a good play for him. We’ll take one on one with anybody, and especially with Josh. He’s a heck of a kid who can jump up and get that ball. We just tell him, it’s just a rebound so go get it.”

Lopsided start

The Chicagoland Prairie League held its inaugural games over the weekend and two of the three matchups were blowouts.

Marquette cruised past Elmwood Park 49-14 on Friday, while St. Bede routed Walther Christian 54-0 on Saturday. The only competitive game was Dwight’s 32-26 victory over Ridgewood.

Seneca earned a forfeit win when Westmont couldn’t field a varsity squad because of low numbers.

When conference play continues in Week 4 the Bruins (2-1, 1-0) play Ridgewood (2-1, 0-1), Marquette (2-1, 1-0) will face Westmont (1-2, 0-1), Seneca will play Elmwood Park (0-3, 0-1) and Dwight (2-1, 1-0) will face Walther Christian (0-3, 0-1).

Workhorse back

Eddie Lorton has played a major role in Fieldcrest’s 2-1 start as he’s helped the Knights establish an effective running game.

Lorton has carried the ball an area-best 82 times. No other area back has more than 50 carries. Lorton has 18 carries or more in all three games, including 38 attempts in the Knights’ 36-14 win over Ridgeview-Lexington last week.

Lorton ranks second in the area in rushing yards (343) and rushing touchdowns (six) behind Princeton’s Casey Etheridge, who has racked up 519 yards on the ground while scoring seven rushing TDs.

Big-play ability

Hall sophomore Braden Curran has shown the ability to break off big plays this season.

Through the first two weeks, Curran’s big plays came in the running game as he ran for a 56-yard touchdown in the Red Devils’ 20-14 loss to Orion in Week 1 before rushing for a 46-yard TD in Hall’s 46-6 rout of Riverdale in Week 2.

Hall's Braden Curran carries the ball while being brought down from behind by Bureau Valley's Connor Scott on Friday, Sept 8, 2023 at Richard Nesti Stadium.

Hall's Braden Curran carries the ball while being brought down from behind by Bureau Valley's Connor Scott on Friday, Sept 8, 2023 at Richard Nesti Stadium. (Scott Anderson)

In the first two games, Curran ran for 140 yards on 13 carries for an average of 10.8 yards per attempt.

In Hall’s 18-8 loss to Bureau Valley in Week 3, Curran demonstrated his ability to make big plays in the passing game as well.

Curran caught seven passes for 128 yards – 18.3 yards per reception – including a 70-yard touchdown.

L-P offense back on track

After a strong debut of its new offense in Week 1, La Salle-Peru struggled in a Week 2 loss to Metamora, managing just 89 yards of total offense.

The Cavs got the offense back on track in a 35-24 win over Woodstock North last week.

L-P had a balanced attack against the Thunder with 175 rushing yards and 143 passing yards. QB Brendan Boudreau ran for two touchdowns and threw for a pair of TDs, while Brady Romagnoli also scored a rushing TD.

“We did what we had to do,” Medina said. “We ran the ball. Teams are starting to see what we do and stack the box. We tried some counters this week. We had a couple big plays on the counter. We really did well with Romo running for a nice long touchdown.”

Locking down on defense

La Salle-Peru struggled against the run in the first half of its win over Woodstock North in Week 3, as the Cavs faced an 18-14 halftime deficit.

But facing a Thunder offense similar to the one L-P ran the last six years, the Cavs tightened up their defense in the second half, allowing 73 yards and just six points to rally for the win.

“The first half was a little rough defensively,” Boudreau said. “We came out strong the second half. They run the option like we used to run. We had to key certain guys. We were just missing our keys [in the first half].”