Comeback ’Canes advance to state semifinals

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WOODSTOCK – Karsten Hamilton-Smith caught the ball near the goal line, hesitated for a second, then lunged backward into the end zone.

It’s not that Hamilton-Smith was  not eager to cross the line – he only wanted to make sure, with so much at stake, he had the ball when he did.

Hamilton-Smith’s 12-yard touchdown catch with 1:34 remaining in regulation proved the difference in Marian Central’s come-from-behind, 34-27 victory against Nazareth Academy, a win which moved the seventh-seeded Hurricanes into the IHSA Class 5A state semifinals.

Marian (10-2) will face fifth-seeded Morris in the semifinal round.

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“I’m not sure why I paused. I guess I really wanted to make sure I had the ball,” Hamilton-Smith said. “Our coaches always say, catch first, run second. I needed to make sure I made the catch first.”

Hamilton-Smith’s catch capped off the Hurricanes’ game-winning drive, a march that began at their own 36-yard line with 5:30 left.

Trailing, 27-26, Marian’s offense twice converted fourth-down plays on the drive – fourth-and-1 from Marian’s 45, fourth-and-7 from Nazareth’s 36 – as it calmly moved deep into Roadrunners territory.

Facing third-and-6 on Nazareth’s 12, Hurricanes quarterback Jon Budmayr (17 of 36, 315 yards, four total touchdowns) lined up in the shotgun with three receivers spread to his right.

“They were in man-to-man. At the snap I thought I might be able to find [slot receiver] Jordan [Peart] over the top,” Budmayr said. “I looked at that route, but they played it pretty well. Then I looked to Karsten, who was running an 11-yard curl.

“At that point you take whatever they give you.”

Hamilton-Smith’s catch put Marian up, 32-27. Doug Simpson, who later sealed the win with a fourth-down interception in Nazareth territory, ran in the two-point conversion.

The Roadrunners (8-4) failed to cross the Hurricanes’ 30-yard line on their final possession.

“We want to get back to where we got last year,” said Hamilton-Smith, who finished with three catches for 61 yards. “I just did what I could to help.”

Marian’s late heroics made up for early miscues. A misplayed kickoff return – Nazareth scored on its first possession, then recovered the ensuing kickoff after the ball fell in between a pair of Marian players – helped the Roadrunners run out to a 13-0 lead.

“I don’t know if it was overconfidence or what, but we didn’t look very good,” Hurricanes coach Ed Brucker said. “The guys have to know there aren’t going to be any more easy games.”

The Hurricanes rallied to tie the game, 13-all, at halftime, and took a third-quarter lead, 20-13, before relinquishing their advantage. LaSteven McKinney ran for touchdowns on consecutive possessions as Nazareth took a 27-20 lead with 8:43 left.

Budmayr’s second touchdown run – a 1-yard plunge with 7:15 remaining – brought Marian within one, but a mishandled snap led to a failed extra point.