There’s solely extra recreation left for senior quarterback Andy Munoz to play with a handful of lifelong teammates at Joliet Catholic. And the reminiscences have already began to stream.
After Saturday’s 31-21 victory over Providence within the Class 5A state semifinals at Joliet Memorial Stadium, Munoz remembered enjoying in 2018 for the Plainfield Saints.
Munoz, HJ Grigsby, Adrian Washington, Anthony Brown, Austin Bernhard, Nate Magrini and Tai Sesta went to a Pop Warner nationwide match that 12 months in Orlando, Florida.
“It’s great to be along for the ride with all of them,” Munoz stated. “From Pop Warner to high school football, it’s a great experience. It’s amazing.”
The Hilltoppers (10-3) hope to maintain their superb trip going at 10 a.m. Saturday once they face Nazareth (8-5) within the state championship recreation at Illinois State’s Hancock Stadium in Normal.
The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Munoz stated he’ll miss strolling onto the sector with teammates that he has performed with since fifth grade. He desires to finish his highschool profession with a win and a state title.
They didn’t win the nationwide championship in Pop Warner however could make up for it now.
“The teammates on this journey have been amazing to me,” Munoz stated. “They are not really teammates anymore — they are family. That’s probably the best thing about this.”
Joliet Catholic’s custom is predicated on operating the soccer. That’s the case once more this season with Grigsby (239 carries, 1,490 yards, 13 TDs), Larry Stringham (55 carries, 383 yards, 9 TDs) and Keegan Farnaus (72 carries, 737 yards, 10 TDs) taking turns doing the injury.
But regardless of what he says, Munoz isn’t just alongside for the trip.
In a 21-20 win over Marist through the common season, Munoz hit Washington for 3 landing passes, together with a TD with 25 seconds left. In a 28-13 victory over Niles Notre Dame, he additionally related with Washington three extra occasions for TDs.
Munoz was razor sharp in opposition to Providence. He accomplished 6 of 8 passes for 137 yards, with TDs to Washington and Stringham. His incompletions got here on a dropped cross ultimately zone and a catch that was inches out of bounds.
“He was on the money,” Joliet Catholic coach Jake Jaworski stated of Munoz. “He was on the run and simply gave our guys alternatives. (Providence’s) secondary might be the very best secondary we’ve performed all 12 months to date. He put the ball solely the place our guys may catch it.
“And our guys caught it.”
Munoz’s teammates tipped their cap to him.
“I love him, man,” Brown stated. “We’ve played together a long time since our days with the Saints. He’s a team player. He gets the right person the ball every time.”
Thus far, Munoz has a proposal from hometown St. Francis and is ready to see how issues pan out after the season is over earlier than making any school choices.
For him, it’s high quality over amount, however Jaworski finds lots of high quality to the quarterback’s recreation. Munoz has accomplished 77 of 145 passes for 1,366 yards and 17 TDs. Washington, his foremost receiver, has 35 catches for 700 yards and 10 TDs.
“We may not throw the ball 30 times a game to get to 200 yards,” he stated. “But with our success of operating the soccer, our play-action recreation is admittedly good and it results in lots of massive performs.
“Andy may throw the ball 10 or 11 times and may get 115 yards and two or three touchdowns. But they are timely throws that help us win.”
Jeff Vorva is a contract reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com