Bartlett's defense shuts down Conant

Row the Boat! Row the Boat!

The Bartlett fans were chanting it in the stands on Friday night and the Bartlett players were chanting it in the postgame huddle as they passed around a large wooden oar. It's a theme that started early in summer practices that suggests it takes teamwork to row a boat down a river and it also takes the same kind of teamwork for a football team to move forward and be successful.

It's a concept that is certainly catching on with the Hawks under first-year coach Eric Ilich.

All hands were on deck on Friday as the Hawks opened the season with a hard-fought 6-0 nonconference win over visiting Conant at Millennium Field in Streamwood.

The Hawks' stifling defense held Conant to just 112 yards of total offense. They also recorded 3 sacks and held the Cougars without a completed pass.

"I am so proud of the players," Ilich said. "The way they have worked hard all summer paid off. They have put trust in the process and have bought into the idea that they are part of something bigger than themselves and the character they showed tonight speaks to that."

It was the defense that set up the only scoring play of the game. With 12 seconds left in the third quarter Joshua Wahlund recovered a fumble to give the Hawks the ball at the Conant 34-yard line. Three runs by tailback Vanshan Lindsey for 11 yards and a Conant penalty moved the ball down to the Conant 15.

When Lindsey, who rushed for a game-high 85 yards on 24 carries, cramped up the Hawks turned to backup tailback Matteo Jones, who just started playing the position a little over a week ago.

Jones answered the call with an 11-yard run to the Conant 4 then scored from there on the next play with 9:59 left to play.

"I am loving playing running back," Matteo said. "I was just waiting for my chance. When I got the call I was so ready. It felt great to get into the end zone."

On the ensuing possession the Cougars marched down to the Hawks' 33, but Ryan Temesvary had a big sack and knocked down another pass attempt to help stall the drive.

TJ Nicoll had 2 sacks in the game for the Hawks.

Conant was plagued by 11 penalties for 118 yards.

"We are just not built to endure that many penalties," Conant coach Bill Modelski said. "We don't have that much room for error. We are a team that has to stay ahead of the chains and there were just too many mistakes tonight."

Jake Reiger had 72 yards rushing for the Cougars.