COD handles Harper
Some teams believe in jinxes. Other teams erase them.
And if, indeed, College of DuPage was jinxed against Harper, it isn't anymore.
After 10 straight losses to the Hawks and 13 losses in their last 14 meetings, DuPage controlled everything Saturday afternoon at Harper in a 43-27 Midwest Football Conference win.
DuPage's speed and explosiveness on offense and its aggressive defense helped it build a 2-touchdown lead that it pretty much maintained all game long.
Although DuPage coach Fred Fimbres wasn't around for most of those 10 losses, he was aware of the streak.
"I think the administration is happy for us," he said. "We didn't feel any pressure."
And they played like it. From the beginning the Chaparrals (3-1, 2-1) showed how the game was going to go. Thom Specia hit a flying Tim Shelley for a 38-yard TD on their first possession and the tone was set.
Xavier Glenn showed his speed and versatility with 3 touchdowns, 2 on short runs and 1 on a spectacular 88-yard kickoff return. Wideout Tim Haiges only had two catches all day, but one was on a third-quarter, first-and-17 after a penalty on which he outwrestled his defender for the ball and then outraced him to the end zone, all without breaking stride.
"All I can say is, he's pure talent. He's got the skills to make people miss," Specia said of Glenn.
"(Glenn) is the most explosive player in this conference," said Harper coach Dragan Teonic.
Nick Booth only had one TD, but he gained 136 yards rushing, almost double Harper's total.
"We knew what we had to do. We stuck with the game plan," Specia said.
The Chaps outgained the Hawks 484-268 in total offense.
Trailing and forced into a passing game, Harper scrambled back on the arm and legs of freshman quarterback Garrett Barnas. But forced to be one-dimensional, the Hawks couldn't sustain much, even with repeated field-position advantages.
An interception in the end zone killed one early Harper drive, and a lost fumble killed a late possession. Even when the Hawks had success, it often came on broken plays, like the one in which Barnas athletically kept himself alive scrambling away from constant companion Dan Bermea of DuPage, a former Hawk, and found Terron Bibbs all alone in the confusion. Bibbs gave his team a gasp when he bobbled the ball but fell into the end zone with it for a 39-yard score.
"That quarterback's phenomenal," Fimbres said. "We had a decent (defensive) scheme. Defensively, they did a pretty decent job of staying in their lanes."
Defensive end Aaron Diggs had a 66-yard run with a fumble recovery for another Hawks score and wideout Ian Shelton was the most effective target for Barnes, scampering for an 8-yard TD and catching 6 passes for 117 yards.
Teonic had no lofty thoughts about his defense.
"With the defense we have now, we will not be in position to win the conference," he said. "The teams we're about to play are all good running teams. We're going to have to make some decisions."