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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Mike Clark

St. Francis’ Alessio Milivojevic to Ian Willis connection keeps Nazareth stuck on four wins

St. Francis’ Alessio Milivojevic (11) scrambles with the ball against Nazareth. (Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times)

When St. Francis quarterback Alessio Milivojevic drops back to pass, he has no shortage of options.

But there’s one guy he looks for above all others: junior Ian Willis.

“Ian’s been everything for us this year,” Milivojevic said. “We have so many weapons they can’t really double-[cover] anyone. And when Ian gets one-on-one coverage, no one in the state can stop him.”

Willis lived up to that hype on Friday night, catching two long touchdown passes in a four-minute span of the second half as No. 14 St. Francis pulled away to beat Nazareth 35-17 in LaGrange Park.

First, Willis caught a 36-yard TD on the last play of the third quarter immediately after the Spartans forced a turnover on downs. Then St. Francis’ defense forced another three-and-out by Nazareth, and two plays later Milivojevic found Willis for a 59-yard TD with 8:46 remaining for a 35-11 lead.

“Alessio, that’s my guy,” Willis said. “I’ve been close with Alessio for a very long time and we have a connection that just clicks every time. If there’s a fourth down and it’s long I pretty much know it’s going to me because he counts on me to get open and I know I can count on him to get me the ball.”

Milivojevic, who is committed to Ball State, was 15-for-20 for 234 yards and the two TDs to Willis. He also ran for a score, giving him 31 combined touchdowns this season.

“If we don’t have the best quarterback in the state, I don’t know who is right now,” St. Francis coach Bob McMillen said. “[And] we’ve got four dynamite receivers. When you’ve got receivers like that and you’ve got a quarterback [like that] and give him time, he’s able to make those plays.”

Willis finished with five catches for 132 yards for St. Francis (7-2, CCL/ESCC Orange). Zach Washington added two receptions for 59 yards and Liam Kolinski caught a 44-yard option pass from Dario Milivojevic, Alessio’s brother.

Oh, and St. Francis also has a potent ground game. TyVonn Ransom had 26 carries for 101 yards, including TD runs of 12 and three yards.

St. Francis’ TyVonn Ransom (8) carries the ball against Nazareth. (Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times)

“It’s nice to have a balanced attack, that’s for sure,” McMillen said.

The Spartans also had some playmakers on defense.

“[Defensive back] Asher Boose had the game of his life,” McMillen said. “We had some guys flying around all over the place, playing physical, going after the ball, making it uncomfortable for [Nazareth’s Logan] Malachuk. He’s a hell of a quarterback and they disrupted him all night.”

Malachuk finished 11-for-24 for 96 yards and one TD.

Defending 5A champ Nazareth (4-5, 1-2) started 0-4 against a powerhouse schedule, but had won four in a row to keep its playoff hopes alive. Now the Roadrunners will wait to see if they can earn a berth at 4-5 with a massive amount of playoff points (49 heading into Week 9).

“I know there was a possibility but we’ll see where the chips fall,” Nazareth coach Tim Racki said. 

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