Five plays into Saturday’s game against St. Ignatius, No. 1 Loyola was in a seven-point hole.
The Hites brothers, quarterback Reid and receiver Connor, teamed up for a 64-yard touchdown pass and the Wolfpack had the best start they could hope for.
But then linebacker Will Mettee and the Ramblers defense went to work and it was all Loyola the rest of the way in a 38-7 win against No. 15 St. Ignatius.
Junior quarterback Matthew Lee’s laserlike precision accounted for 244 yards and two touchdowns on 16 of 22 passing. He also ran for a score for Loyola (7-0). Aidan Collins (eight catches, 150 yards, TD) and Jordan McKinley (five catches, 113 yards) were Lee’s top targets.
Melo Maldonado, another junior, had 56 yards and three touchdowns — two rushing, one receiving — on 14 touches.
That was way more offense than the Ramblers needed after the early defensive hiccup against the Wolfpack (5-2).
St. Ignatius’ offense has confounded plenty of opponents with its blend of deception, misdirection and speed.
“Thankfully we have good coaches on the defensive side that put these guys in the right spot,” Loyola coach John Holecek said. “We got an extra day [of practice] so we drilled them. But it’s eye discipline and just looking at the keys and assignment football — if they do this, we have to do this.
“You can’t get used to the speed of what they do early.”
Mettee, a linebacker committed to Boston College, is the leader of the Ramblers defense and took charge after the Wolfpack touchdown.
“After that, I talked to my safety, making sure we were on the same page,” he said. “We also went over that [in] halftime adjustments. But the rest of the game, I think our back end did really well, just taking their guys, staring at them and making sure they didn’t have false eyes on their quarterback.”
Reid Hites finished 2 of 6 passing for 82 yards. Sophomore fullback Nino Capuano had eight carries for 64 yards for St. Ignatius.
“I also think we defeated the dive pretty well,” Mettee said. “Because [Capuano] is obviously a tough kid — small to the ground [at 5-7, 175 pounds] but he can stay up and he’s a good player. For the next two years, he’ll be rushing a lot.”
The Wolfpack’s second drive ended with a missed field goal and they didn’t pass midfield again till late in the fourth quarter,
Meanwhile, Loyola’s offense was humming along despite the absence of tight end Charlie Fowler, another Boston College commit, and receiver Brendan Fitzgerald.
Collins, who had been dealing with a leg injury, showed no ill effects. “His hands are great, he catches everything,” Holecek said.
Lee’s pinpoint throws made the receivers’ jobs easy. And having targets like McKinley, a four-star junior prospect, and Collins make it hard for opposing defenses to cover everyone.
“Just get the ball in the athletes’ hands and they get the job done,” Lee said.
“He’s growing and growing,” Holecek said of Lee. “He’s still young, he’s halfway through his junior year and he’s so much more poised in the pocket. The more he plays in this offense, the more comfortable he will be — knowing where to get the ball, where to look.”