Balanced backfield, dominant defense spur Nazareth to Class 6A second-round playoff win over Simeon

Nazareth’s best version of itself has yet to be revealed.With two of their top players sidelined for most of the season and others banged up throughout, the Roadrunners have leaned on their depth and talented defense. That depth shined through on Saturday, when four different rushers scored touchdowns as Nazareth beat Simeon 49-6 in the second round of the IHSA Class 6A playoffs.“Our running back crew is great, but all of the credit goes to the O-line,” said Jack Parisi, who led the backfield with two touchdowns on 26 yards rushing. “They’re just so dominant, so physical. We’re the more physical team on every play, and that’s what we all need to do.”North Dakota commit Charles Calhoun (20 yards), Dylan Wellner (26 yards) and Gavin Hartigan (16 yards) all found the end zone for the Roadrunners (7-5), who advance to face Quincy in the quarterfinals next weekend. Quarterback J.J. Chapman threw for 97 yards and made touchdown passes to Hank Sakalas and Jackson Flickinger.“This week we thou