Addison Trail no longer has to wait
For eight weeks, and probably even longer, Addison Trail's football team anxiously awaited its showdown with Downers Grove South.
It was well worth the wait.
The Blazers claimed the outright West Suburban Gold title — their first since 2006 — with Friday's 20-14 victory over Downers South in Addison.
A fierce Downers South (8-1, 5-1) rally made it close in the final minutes, but Greg Schultz snared an interception for the Blazers (8-1, 6-0) at the Mustangs' 31-yard line to end their last chance drive with two minutes left.
“It's been tough,” Blazers senior lineman Tom Caputo said of the long wait to play the Mustangs. “I know I've been waiting since my freshman year to play this game. We pulled it out, and now we go into the playoffs strong.”
Both sides had a feeling the Gold would come down to the two of them in the regular-season finale, and the game lived up to expectations — especially if you're a fan of defense.
Addison Trail built a 20-0 lead early in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't easy.
Caputo broke a scoreless tie early in the second quarter with a stunning 4-yard interception return for a touchdown after Mustangs quarterback A.J. Simoncelli's pass deflected off a helmet right to Caputo.
The score remained 7-0 until the first play of the fourth quarter when Anthony Messina capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge. The drive included a fourth-down conversion at midfield.
The lead grew to 20-0 on the Blazers' next possession after Downers South failed to convert on a fourth-and-2. Quarterback Trevor Bermingham connected with Messina on a 34-yard touchdown pass with 8:15 left in the game.
After struggling to move the ball the entire game against Addison Trail's stout defense, Downers South finally came alive. A 9-play drive culminated in a 3-yard touchdown run by Josh Williams, who finished with 51 yards on 20 carries.
The Mustangs' John Wauer recovered the ensuing onside kick, and two plays later Simoncelli hit Marco Scalzetti with a 51-yard touchdown pass that narrowed the gap to 20-14 with 4:42 left.
Another onside kick was recovered by the Blazers' Anthony Catanese, but Downers South got the ball back following a three-and-out. Four plays later, Schultz stabbed the interception for the Blazers' third takeaway.
“It's going to be this type of game from here on out,” said Mustangs coach John Belskis. “You're going to get a team like this (in the playoffs) and we've got to play better.”
Both teams squandered scoring chances early in the game. Addison Trail came away with no points in two first-and-goal chances and an additional red-zone opportunity. Downers South, which had 4 takeaways on the night, missed out on two red-zone chances in the second quarter.
“I can't say enough about our kids,” said Addison Trail coach Paul Parpet. “They did what they had to do and took care of business.”