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Najee Toomer, Walther Lutheran blast Guerin
Melrose Park, 09/15/12--Guerin Prep's Kevin Kross runs past Walther Lutheran's Roderick Sanders. Walther Lutheran High School hosted Guerin Prep High School in football Saturday afternoon. | Jon Langham~for Sun-Times Media
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Updated: September 25, 2012 12:35AM
MELROSE PARK — Najee Toomer could have called it a day after the first 30 minutes.
Toomer, along with Walther Lutheran (1-3), used their speed to pass by Guerin (1-3) 60-0 Saturday in Melrose Park.
Both teams entered the game following giant shutouts last week as the Broncos fell 56-0 and the Gators were upended 63-0.
“We played better,” said Walther Lutheran head coach Bruce Tuomi. “We’ve been getting hammered too. They’re struggling over there and they’re young too. At this point, any win is good and needed for our kids.”
The Gators opened the game with a nine-play drive which stalled at the Broncos’ 27-yard line and that would end up being their best offensive possession.
Walther Lutheran took no time to take the ball back the other way and ended its opening drive with a Justin Tolbert 18-yard touchdown run to make it 8-0.
From that point on, it was all Broncos.
Toomer intercepted a pass and returned it 50 yards for the score and the 16-0 lead.
After a fumble ended the next Gators’ possession, senior quarterback Joe Lomnicki hooked up with senior tight end Jon Fuqua for a 47-yard touchdown pass.
Senior receiver Toomer capped Walther Lutheran’s next two possessions with 60- and 23-yard touchdown runs to extend the lead to 36-0.
Toomer then took his talents back to the defensive side of the ball and returned another interception to the house.
The second half was then changed to two 10-minute quarters and a running clock.
“Offensively, we came out with a game plan and we ran the ball right down them,” said Guerin head coach Tony Pecoraro. “Defensively, we’re a young team and that’s a fast team and they’re just better than us today. We couldn’t stop them and there was nothing that we could do.”
Toomer ran for 87 yards on four attempts with two rushing touchdowns and two defensive scores.
Lomnicki wrapped up the win 5-for-6 passing with one touchdown and one 40-yard scamper into the end zone.
For Guerin, junior quarterback Gavin Byrne threw for 37 yards and three interceptions on 4-for-20 passing.
Senior running back Kevin Doyle ran the ball 19 times for 55 yards and a fumble.
Both teams will be back in action Saturday as the Broncos host Wheaton Academy and the Gators welcome Chicago Christian.
“Hopefully this will bring us up more and we can build on it,” said Tuomi. “We’ll practice this week and hopefully we’ll have more hop in our step. We actually think we can win a couple games down the road.”
Pick up your local Pioneer Press newspaper on Sept. 20 to read more about the Guerin football team.
