Providence wants to settle score
By Curt Herron Sun-Times News Group
Celtics' last loss was to tonight's opponent, St. Rita
When St. Rita High School's Steve Flaherty kicked a 27-yard field goal in the final seconds to rally his team to a 17-14 win over Providence Catholic on Sept. 22, it looked as if it might be the end of the line for the Celtics.
After all, Providence was off to its worst start in a quarter century at 1-4 and faced the real likelihood of at least one more defeat during the final four weeks of the regular season that would end its long run of playoff trips.
But little did anyone suspect at the time that the Mustangs and Celtics would meet up one more time in 2006, and this time for a whole lot more than Catholic Blue bragging rights.
Providence has made some history by bouncing back from its disappointing 1-4 start to rattle off seven straight wins. As a result, the Celtics (8-4) have earned a spot in today's 7 p.m. Class 7A semifinal against 11-1 St. Rita, with the game played at the same site as the teams' first meeting, Senffner Field in New Lenox. This one will televised live on WPWR Channel 50.
Only two teams in state history have started the season 1-4 and then won seven straight to reach the semifinals. The first was Lincoln-Way East in 2004.
"It went down to the wire and we almost ran out of time," Celtics coach Mark Coglianese said. "But I always had confidence in them and knew that we could go far if we put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
"This says a lot for the kids who have worked so hard through the hard times and for the coaches, especially those on offense who have had to put in changes. It took a little while to get everyone on the same page, but now the kids believe."
Now the Celtics have every reason that they can avenge their earlier defeat to the Mustangs and surpass the 2004 Griffins by becoming the first team to start at 1-4 and then play for a championship.
Whoever wins today's clash of the Chicago Catholic Blue powers draws the winner of Saturday's other semifinal, either defending 7A state champion Prospect or Lake Zurich, for next Saturday's 7 p.m. 7A title game at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.
The Celtics are competing in their 13th semifinal game since 1987 and their 11th in the past 13 years. Providence is 11-1 in semifinal games and has won all five of its semifinals played in New Lenox.
Providence enters the game on a high note after rolling to an impressive 35-13 victory on the road over previously unbeaten East St. Louis.
"The East St. Louis win was maybe our best performance of the year and it was one of the best wins in the program's history, considering we were underdogs and we were able to beat a team like that," said Coglianese, who has seen many big wins in his 20 years at the school.
"Playing at East St. Louis was a new challenge for us and the kids enjoyed it. We knew that we've played against the best in our conference. So even though we were playing there against a team with different threats, we knew that we had faced other teams who were just as good."
The Celtics have definitely been on a roll of late on offense, averaging 41.5 points during their last four contests.
The emergence of Brandon Phillips as a force at tailback has complemented an offense that had relied on the passing of Brian Stroud and the receiving of Mike Maher.
Coglianese wasn't surprised to see Phillips rush for nearly 200 yards and four scores like he did against East St. Louis. After all, the senior has been a great sprinter for Coglianese's track team the past few years.
"On offense, we're really mixing the run and pass really well," said the Celtics' coach. "Brian is having a great season at quarterback and Mike is setting marks as a receiver. But probably the biggest surprise has been our tailback, Brandon.
"I knew the talent and desire that Brandon had, so I knew that he would do well this season. He didn't have a lot of carries last year, so he's still learning. But he's really been jelling with the rest of the offense."
While this year's defense, led by linebackers Mike Barry and Neal Dahlman, won't be mistaken for some of the great ones that Coglianese directed as coordinator for Matt Senffner, the Celtics have still been able to get the job done when it counts.
"It's also taken a little time for our defense to come together," Coglianese said. "We're a little young, but everyone has learned a lot of things as we've gone through this schedule, and they're starting to play with some more confidence now."
In the teams' first meeting, the Celtics jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, but they weren't able to produce enough offense to hold the big lead.
But while Coglianese realizes that his team is better than it was back in Week 5, he knows Todd Kuska's Mustangs also have improved. St. Rita has rattled off nine straight wins since falling 19-17 to Fenwick in its third game.
The biggest victory during the current stretch was a 7-6 victory over rival Mount Carmel that forced the two squads to share the Chicago Catholic Blue crown.
Much like Providence, St. Rita has been clicking on offense during its last four games, averaging 40.8 points. Quarterback Peter Balsam and running back Darieon Hood lead the Mustangs' attack.
St. Rita's defense, led by lineman Matt Conrath, the Catholic Blue MVP, has held half of its opponents to less than 10 points in a game and pitched a shutout against Hubbard in last Friday's 20-0 quarterfinal win.
"The last time we played them, they pretty much dominated the line of scrimmage on defense, but our offense is quite a bit different now," said Coglianese. "So hopefully we can keep our offense on the field a little bit longer than we did during that first game.
"Their quarterback is a big threat, especially when he's running the ball, and they've got a lot of other weapons, including their tailbacks. They've also got a tremendous defense that's very big and strong."
While the Celtics have enjoyed great success in semifinal play, the Mustangs have not. Outside of winning in the semifinals en route to the school's lone state title in 1978, St. Rita has fallen in each of its last five semifinal appearances.
Providence not only is hoping to see that trend continue, but also wants to extend its 28-game playoff home winning streak, which dates to 1993.
And if the Celtics continue to perform as they have recently, that just might happen.
"We know St. Rita is going to be extremely tough since it won the Catholic Blue and beat Mount Carmel, but our guys are focused," Coglianese said. "And the key to the game is getting our running game working so that it can help our passing game.
"This is a great opportunity that we have, considering that we were one step away from not getting in. A 5-4 team has never advanced to the state finals and a Providence team has never won a 7A title. We can rewrite the history books a bit, and we're excited about that."
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