Omar Mendez (No. 50) sacks St. Rita quarterback Jake Zylman. The LA nose tackle had two sacks in the 35-3 victory. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Omar Mendez doesn’t play the game in gentleman-like fashion.
Just the opposite. The Loyola Academy senior nose tackle is a load. When this interior lineman takes the field, he’s got an exterior that screams: don’t mess with me.
He’s sturdy, stout and relentless.
And on Oct. 1, in a 35-3 thrashing over visiting St. Rita, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Mendez was at his very best. He hit the opposition with his best shot — over and over and over again.
On a rainy afternoon in Wilmette, Mendez was pouring it on. He finished with bagging rights: sacking St. Rita quarterback Jake Zylman a team-high twice in the first half.
“He’s a force,” said teammate Marty Geary, who lines up next to him on most defensive snaps. “He’s a force to be reckoned with.
“Two sacks,” Geary added. “That’s pretty hard to do for someone playing the nose tackle position. Those two sacks set the tone today.”
Moments after the win, and with the rain pouring down on the LA turf, a good-natured Mendez showed another side of himself.
During a postgame interview, he helped create a Rockwellian moment. He agreed to hold an umbrella while towering over and answering the questions of a grateful sportswriter.
Read all about it. The big guy is polite. The nose tackle is a gentleman.
Just don’t expect him to be so accommodating — when the game clock is ticking.
“Finally got some sacks today,” said Mendez, pushing out a smile. “I’ve missed a few [opportunities] in earlier games. Feels good to get a couple.”
With it being homecoming, No. 50 was fired up. His idea of a good time is getting involved and making a difference. He finished the game with six tackles.
“I was just trying to disrupt their offense as much as I could,” Mendez said. “You don’t want the other team to have the ball too long.”
LA head coach John Holecek, as demanding as they come when it comes to defense, says Mendez is living up to expectations.
“I thought he’d be one of our strong points on defense,” said Holecek. “He’s big and strong, and he has some quicks.”
Mendez is part of a pretty good trio upfront. He fits perfectly between Geary (6-2, 250) and a guy named Vito: Vito Cannizzaro (6-2, 240).
“We got a pack going,” said Geary. “The three of us are good buddies outside of football. And it’s Omar that leads us.”
LA’s 2015 state-championship season was a significant one for Mendez. He backed up and learned plenty from one of the best defensive linemen in the state: Ben LeRoy.
Tenacious Ben set the bar high. The hard-hitting 6-foot-3, 260-pound LeRoy, who now plays Division I football at Northern Illinois University, had a way of sticking out on a football field.
“He’s a monster out there,” said Mendez. “I want to be tenacious like Ben LeRoy.”
He also admits this. Playing Sackman is a lot better than playing Pokemon Go.
Mendez got into the Pokemon Go crave this summer. But he didn’t get far.
“Got to Level 5,” said Mendez, with a shrug. “Got too busy with football.”
Notable: Getting the ball in the hands of Jake Marwede is always ideal. That’s especially the case, when the playing conditions aren’t ideal. On a rainy afternoon, the sure-handed Marwede had one of his best games of the season. The 6-foot-5 receiver caught a season-high nine passes for 96 yards in the win over St. Rita. “He’s a such a weapon,” said LA head coach John Holecek, who saw his team improve to 6-0. Marwede, a Duke University recruit, was targeted 13 times. Despite all those catches, St. Rita’s secondary played him pretty well. A couple of long passes were broken up at the last second. “You have to give St. Rita credit,” said Holecek. “They defended him pretty well on some of those jump balls.” … Quarterback Tommy Herion completed 15 of 27 passes for 170 yards with zero interceptions. He delivered a 40-yard pass to David Terrell on a deep slant to set up the game’s first score. Herion’s lone TD pass was a four-yarder to Jack Moran with 10:39 left in the second quarter. It was an impressive catch by Moran. He held on to the pass despite getting popped hard on the play by two St. Rita defenders. … Once again, LA’s running game was first rate. Behind the blocking of Paddy Kotowski, Jack Badovinac, Brien Callum, John Brekke and Charlie Gross, the Ramblers rolled up 182 yards of rushing. Kyle Rock was the leading ball carrier with 101 yards on 18 carries. He scored the game’s first touchdown from four yards out on LA’s opening series. His second TD — a one-yarder — gave the Ramblers a 28-3 advantage with 1:15 left in the second period. Sidekick Hamid Bullie ran the ball 10 times for 58 yards. He reached the end zone on a seven-yard run with 4:42 left in the first quarter to cap an 11-play, 55-yard drive. … St. Rita (3-3), which came into the contest averaging 40 points per game, was able to move the ball at times (13 first downs) but could only convert a 40-yard field goal by Gavin Mottl midway through the second quarter. … LA finished the game with four quarterback sacks and seven other tackles for loss. “Everyone executed the game plan,” said Holecek. “When we minimize the errors, we’re a pretty good defense.” In addition to nose tackle Omar Mendez (two sacks), outside linebacker Mickey Kane and inside linebacker Tony Romano came up with sacks. Romano, who led the team with 10 tackles, also recorded two TFLs. Kane also had a TFL, as did Anthony Rodriguez, Tomas Henning, Jack Gonzalez and Peter Kennedy. Rodriguez’s other big play was an interception late in the second quarter, which set up one of Rock’s TD runs.