Joliet Catholic’s Jordan Anderson unstoppable in Class 4A state title win

DEKALB – Sacred Heart-Griffin coach Ken Leonard called Joliet Catholic Academy senior running back Jordan Anderson a “big pack of dynamite.”

Cyclones two-way lineman Noah Gray described the difficulty of simply catching up to Anderson.

“You’ve just got to move your feet,” Gray said. “If you messed up and didn’t move your feet, he was right by you.”

Anderson, an Illinois recruit, had a record-setting day for the Hilltoppers, breaking the Class 4A state title game rushing record with 306 yards, and he added five total touchdowns in a 56-27 victory over Sacred Heart-Griffin in the Class 4A State Championship game.

The previous 4A state rushing record was held by Richmond-Burton’s Jack Dechow with 244 yards in 2011.

Anderson finished with 375 total yards, scoring on touchdown runs of 2, 35, 26 and 6 yards. The Illinois commit also had a 32-yard touchdown reception with 4:31 remaining in the second quarter when he was left wide open by the Cyclones’ defense.

Anderson was dinged up throughout the season and didn’t always play a full complement of snaps. He started the second half Friday with a bit of a limp but walked it off on the sidelines before returning to his record-setting day.

Leonard said he could tell how special Anderson was just by watching him on film this week.

“He is the whole package,” Leonard said. “A lot of kids are great, but the ones that are special are the ones that work that extra effort. He’s just special. We’ve found guys as fast as him, but he’s a man. ... He’s 230 pounds of high-school tailback. There’s some guys in the NFL that aren’t that big.”

Hilltoppers coach Jake Jaworski said the team didn’t necessarily hold Anderson back earlier in the season, but they wanted him as healthy as possible for the playoffs.

Anderson, who ran the ball 30 times, was at his best Friday.

“I wouldn’t say we ever held him back, but our goal was to be here,” Jaworski said. “In order to get to that point and win, we knew he had to be at his best. If there were times we can limit his carries we would. It’s a testament to [senior running back] Vinny [Iannantone] to shoulder that load and [quarterback Aidan] Voss to take on more responsibility running and throwing. It’s a collective effort.”

Iannantone, who had 131 yards of his own, said Friday’s performance showed the duo was the state’s best rushing tandem.

“They call me and Jordan one of the deadliest duos in the state,” Iannantone said. “I think that was solidified tonight with him rushing for 300 yards and me still being able to rack up a few yards, get big first downs and some touchdowns.”

Jaworski praised both running backs for their unselfish work ethic.

“Any time you rush for [306] yards, any time you carry the ball 30 times, it’s a testament to their hard work,” Jaworski said. “For guys to be able to carry a load like that, it’s pretty impressive. These guys are all selfless. They don’t care who gets the stats or who gets the touchdowns. Their goal was to win a state championship.”

Anderson said Friday’s state title game was the one he was really looking forward to. He did not disappoint.

He gave all the credit to his teammates and the offensive line, or “the Hogs up front.”

“I’ve always had the passion to come back and do what I do,” Anderson said. “Practice, they always tell me to keep it down a bit, but I just have that fire in me that just wants to get out there and play. ... Just do what I do.”