Addison Trail 26, Morton 8
With a Morton defender racing to close the gap on him, Addison Trail's Vince Beachem found another gear as he streaked toward the end zone to score the Blazers' first touchdown of the football season on Friday.
"I just felt someone behind me, and took off," said Beachem, who left the Mustangs defender in the dust on an 85-yard, first-quarter touchdown run. Beachem finished with 215 rushing yards and 3 running touchdowns. The Blazers won 26-8 in their West Suburban Gold opener in Addison.
"Anytime he touches the ball, he can take it (to the end zone)," Addison Trail coach Paul Parpet said of Beachem.
Blazers senior Joe DuFour and his teammates on the offensive line got the lion's share of credit from both Beachem and Parpet for opening holes and allowing Beachem and Mike DeStefano to pick their spots.
"We finally just started clicking," DuFour said. "We had a really good week of practice, and everything fell into place tonight."
Addison Trail (1-2, 1-0) fell behind 8-0 when Morton (0-3, 0-1) scored on its first possession, but Beachem's long run cut the deficit to 8-6 before the second quarter.
That quarter spelled doom for the Mustangs, who not only coughed up 3 fumbles that the Blazers recovered but committed a slew of penalties that backed them deep into their own territory.
The remainder of the points scored in the game came in the second quarter, with Beachem posting TD runs of 48 and 25 yards and DeStafano scoring from 1 yard out before halftime.
The Blazers on the defensive side of the ball held up their end as well, holding Morton scoreless after the Mustangs' first offensive series of the night.
"We were so jacked up and ready for this game, and everyone played fantastic," DuFour said. "We flew around, got to the ball and hit hard."
"We had a couple breakdowns on the option where we didn't cover the pitch, but I thought overall the (defense) came ready to play," Parpet said.
Addison Trail will get running back Michael D'Ambrose back for next week's game against Proviso East. Beachem will move back to his position at wide receiver, although wherever he goes, the senior will be asked to produce.
"Wideout, running back -- we just want to get the ball in his hands," Parpet said.