Title comes down to controversy

The 76th Prep Bowl may have turned on a controversial fourth-quarter pass-interference call, but in the end it came down to one thing—too much Jahwon Akui.

The St. Rita junior rushed for 148 yards—including 98 in the second half—and scored four touchdowns as St. Rita claimed the Catholic League’s fourth consecutive Prep Bowl title with a 34-20 win over Simeon at Soldier Field.

“We figured we could dominate up front and our lineman did a great job,” said Akui, the MVP of the Prep Bowl. “There were lots of holes and lots of space to run. I just feel blessed.”

With the score tied 20-20 early in the fourth quarter, Simeon appeared to have halted a St. Rita drive at the Wolverines’ 28. But after an incomplete pass on fourth-and-17, Simeon was called for interference.

Someone on the Wolverines’ sideline disagreed with the call, and Simeon was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, putting St. Rita at the 11.

Two plays later, Akui bowled in from the 3 to give the Mustangs a 27-20 lead with 8 minutes, 3 seconds remaining. Akui added a 16-yard scoring run with 1:49 left.

Following the game, two Simeon coaches attempted to run after officials but were quickly restrained by Soldier Field security. “I just saw two players go up for the ball and unfortunately they called it on us, but I didn’t see any pass interference,” Simeon defensive back Demarius Reed said. “The ref made the call.”

Things couldn’t have started worse for Simeon (10-4) as Akui took the opening kickoff 85 yards for a score.

The Mustangs upped the lead minutes later when Travis Starks busted off right tackle for a 33-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead. Simeon sophomore quarterback Robert Gregory (12-for-26, 141 yards; 13 carries, 166 yards) sparked the Wolverines the rest of the half, rushing for 41 yards in a 15-play, 80-yard drive that was capped with his 1-yard plunge on fourth-and-goal to cut the lead to 14-6. On Simeon’s next drive, Gregory ran for 75 yards and a score, and Horatio Banks’ two-point conversion knotted the score 14-14 with 10:47 left in the half.