Blowouts are becoming commonplace around Loyola Sacred Heart.
The Rams blanked the St. Ignatius Bulldogs 39-0 in a District 6-B matchup at Rollin Field on Friday night, their second shutout in a three-game span in which the Rams decimated opponents 147-6.
It's the perfect time for the offense to score with such regularity and the defense to keep opponents from sniffing the goal line, said Rams head coach Dan Weber. The team won't likely flatten its next opponent in Ronan, which dropped down to Class B this season and is off to a 4-1 start.
"It's nice to be on a roll when you have to play a team like Ronan," Weber said. "They've definitely got numbers up there and the more bodies you have the better you can be."
In the last tune-up before the 6-B clash next week in Ronan, the offense for Loyola (2-0 in league, 5-0 overall) ran wild as quarterback Bo Hughes returned to full strength after missing time with a hip injury. The 6-foot-2 junior sat out a game and then played sparingly in last week's 52-6 win over Deer Lodge, but captained both the offense and defense as safety on Friday.
"It's great having (these receivers) because they all get tons of yards after the catch," Hughes said. "I never have to worry about that. They can turn anything into a big play."
With the big lead, coach Weber opted to rest his starting quarterback in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Matt McHugh, who stood in for Hughes during the latter's injury, finished out the game.
Hughes' throws may have been the highlight-reel type plays of the night, but senior running back Morgan Griffin's 169 yards and three scores consistently drained the Bulldogs' defense. The runner averaged more than 12 yards per carry and helped sustain drive after drive and demoralized the visiting team.
Griffin got on the board in each of the first three quarters, with scores of 22, 7 and 14 yards.
The offense feels well-groomed, Griffin said, and anyone looking for the source should set their gaze on his offense line. The big men are the "cause of everything we do," he added, and lead to giant offensive numbers in most outings.
"Our offense will always put points on the board because of them," he said. "It'll be up to our defense to keep the other team at a minimum."
The boys from St. Ignatius (1-4, 0-2) struggled to keep drives moving. Senior running back Dakota Gun Hammer led the team in yards with 31 on the ground while quarterback Dylan Evans passed for just 4 yards and was intercepted once by the Rams' Preston Peterson.
Evans added 16 yards rushing, but his team failed to hit the century mark in total yardage.
St. Ignatius 0 0 0 0 - 0
Loyola 7 13 12 7 - 39
L - Morgan Griffin 22 run (Janssen kick)
L - Josh Janssen 51 pass from Bo Hughes (kick blocked)
L - Griffin 7 run (Janssen kick)
L - Griffin 14 run (kick failed)
L - Janssen 33 pass from Hughes (conversion failed)
L - Austin Dahlen 1 run (Janssen kick)