It was fourth down. Deep in its own territory. Late in the game. Facing a crucial short-yardage situation, Providence dialed up the number of junior running back Broden Mackert .

And Mackert? He might not have shown it afterward, but he was pretty excited.

“I mean, it was just the one yard,” he said. “But I ran behind my guys, saw the hole, and I just took off. We came out slow in the second half and the game is never over until the final buzzer.

“I knew I had to take over.”

Mackert, indeed, took over — and also took off. He broke free for a 69-yard touchdown run on fourth down to help the host Celtics secure a 28-14 victory over Marist in New Lenox.

On top of that, Mackert also scored the opening TD with a 1-yard dive for Providence (4-2), which produced three TDs in the second qua

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