One win away from the playoffs, the Lions challenged the Marmion Cadets in a monumental game that would send the Lions to the playoffs.
Both teams came off of defeats entering this week’s game. The week before, Marmion lost to Joliet Catholic, and Saint Viator was defeated by St. Ignatius College Prep.
The situation was tense before the game, but the idea of entering a hostile environment competing for playoff qualifications was nowhere near unfamiliar for the football team: just the year before, the team played at Saint Patrick’s to compete for playoffs.
Before the game started, both Saint Viator and Marmion had multiple starters out due to injuries and illness; however, this did not diminish the fight. Immediately, both teams went on scoring drives within the first quarter, after which a huge shootout followed.
“The game was like a roller coaster,” said senior linebacker Phu Troung.
It wasn’t until the 2nd half that the Lions began to overtake Marmion, with the defense beginning to shut down Marmion’s formidable fullback-jet dual threat. The momentum saw a huge shift when Lion linebackers Phu Troung and Michael Tauscher each got an interception.
The offense was led by junior Cooper Kmet, Luca Cutinello, and Dayvion Ellis.
The Lions defeated the Cadets 49-27 and later defeated Richmond-Burton 14-0 in the first round of the playoffs.