Plenty of fanfare for this Maine West victory

There is no better way to pick up a historic win than in front of an alumni-laden homecoming crowd.

They were treated to Maine West's 51-6 victory over rival Maine East (0-5) to mark the first three-win campaign for the Warriors since 2005, when Maine West finished 5-4.

The Warriors failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2005 with a winning record due to a lack of playoff points, and Maine West last made the postseason in 2002.

"We're excited to get to 3 wins," Maine West coach Jason Kradman said. "Our goal before the season was to win five games and make the playoffs, which is something that hasn't been done in quite some time.

"We're happy with where we're at, but we're definitely not content."

"This win is big for us, but we're not done," Maine West junior wideout Matt Kentgen added. "We just want to keep winning and we want to have a shot at the playoffs and make this school a football school."

Maine West raced out to a 14-0 advantage by the end of the first quarter. Senior quarterback Jake Riportella threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to junior Marteen Robinson to put the Warriors on the board, and a 7-yard Woody Corey touchdown run concluded the first quarter fireworks for the Warriors.

Kentgen opened the second quarter scoring for Maine West with a 7-yard touchdown reception to extend the Warriors' lead to 21-0.

"Our offense is really doing well right now," Kentgen said. "We're all grinding on good gears and we praise each other and we're just trying to find a way to win."

Senior defensive back Daniel Estrada's 28-yard interception return for a touchdown and Riportella's 5-yard keeper for a score plus a successful 2-point conversion attempt made the score 36-0 before Maine East finally got on the board.

Blue Demons junior Sargon Odicho's 5-yard touchdown reception closed Maine East's deficit to 36-6 with 43.3 seconds remaining until halftime, but the Warriors were able to score once more before the break.

Another Riportella keeper for a touchdown, this time from 2 yards out, and a 2-point conversion upped Maine West's advantage to 44-6.

A 9-yard Corey rushing touchdown sent the remainder of contest into a running clock at 51-6 with 8:48 left in the third quarter.

In the three victories for the Warriors, they surrendered a touchdown or less with a 23-0 win versus Proviso East, 42-7 victory over Elmwood Park and now a 51-6 win against Maine East.

"Our defense is playing great, so they've been big time for us," Kradman said. "I think our pass rush has been solid, our secondary has been excellent and our safeties are doing a real nice job."

"Our defense is amazing," Kentgen added. "Our offense couldn't do it without them. They gave us the ball and they put us in great field position."

Kradman was pleased with how his squad bounced back from its losses the previous two weeks in crossover contests versus Central Suburban South foes: New Trier (29-14) and Glenbrook South (40-6).

"Obviously we played two of the tougher teams on our schedule and we gave New Trier a run for their money, and Glenbrook South was a game where we had a two-hour rain delay and just didn't play well," Kradman said. "It was good to be able to bounce back and get a great win and a good homecoming win in a rivalry game, so we're excited about the future. We played well tonight in all three phases and we're looking forward to next week."

Maine West looks to make more history when it travels to Niles North on Friday, Oct. 2 for a 7 p.m. kickoff.