How smart is this?

St. Laurence senior Fayezon Smart gets it. The 5-foot-7, 155-pound running back has rushed for over 1,200 yards, including 409 in the Vikings' three playoff victories. He's earned every bit of praise he's received.

But Smart wisely pointed out as vital as he has been for St. Laurence's offense, the Vikings would not have reached the Class 6A state semifinals without a complementary passing attack.

Smart, indeed.

“Our receivers are really good,” he said. “We've needed them. They've made big plays all season.”

It's not just one or two receivers making big plays. It's been a group effort.

It also will be required again at 2 p.m. Saturday when the 12th-seeded Vikings (9-3) face second-seeded Sacred Heart-Griffin (12-0) in Springfield.

A good example was St. Laurence's 27-20 quarterfinal win last Saturday over Lemont.

Quarterback Romello Washington's first four completions were to different receivers. David Lox caught a 2-yard pass, Levy Hamer caught a 4-yarder, Alex Saunders caught a 15-yarder and Alec Freeman caught an 8-yarder.

While none of those receptions were game-breakers, it sent a few messages to a stingy Lemont defense: don't focus too much attention on stopping Smart or you'll get burned by the pass. And there isn't just one receiver to focus on.

Brett Bittner is another threat. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound tight end didn't get in on the action much against Lemont, but he was a key performer during a first-round playoff win over Richards.

Freeman, a senior, believes the Vikings' versatility at receiver is a major benefit.

“All of us are capable of getting the ball and making a play,” Freeman said. “We have multiple weapons. We never know when an opportunity is going to come our way. You always have to be ready.”

Spreading the ball around doesn't allow one or two receivers to pile up their statistics. Hamer, a senior, leads with 32 catches for 741 yards and 10 touchdowns. The four other targets have at least 182 yards.

According to Hamer, individual glory takes a back seat to team success.

“We never put personal reward in front of the team,” Hamer said. “We know that by not having a go-to guy, teams can't focus on any one of us. When teams stack the box to stop Fayezon, we have a bunch of receivers ready to make a play.”

The Vikings also have a strong-armed, intelligent quarterback in the 6-3, 185-pound Washington who's capable of making any throw on the field. He has completed 128 of 204 passes for 1,560 yards and 18 TDs.

Washington is extremely mobile and can complete passes on the run that few others can.

“He can throw the ball 50 yards on a hop-step,” Hamer said of Washington. “He can get the ball in small windows. He makes it really easy for us.”

Washington attributed the success of the passing game to an open line of communication.

“The chemistry between me and the receivers is what makes us successful,” Washington said. “They work hard in practice and always ask what type of routes do I want them to run in certain situations. So we are always on the same page.”

For the second straight season, St. Laurence has advanced to the state semifinals. Last season, the Vikings competed in 5A and lost to eventual state champion Nazareth.

Freeman recalled how others questioned his decision to attend St. Laurence when he was in eighth grade.

“Everybody made fun of the kids who went to St. Laurence,” Freeman said. “People were like, ‘Why are you going there? They're not good. They don't make the playoffs.' I said, ‘Watch. We're going to win a state championship my senior year.'”

pdisabato@tribpub.com

Twitter @disabato