Prospect sees Osei go wild
Maybe it was best that the scoreboard at the north end zone of Carstens Field was malfunctioning and turned off prior to Friday night's football season-opener. Because the way visiting Prospect was tearing through Downers Grove North's defense, it may have broken from overuse anyway.
Led by second-year starting quarterback Miles Osei, the Knights rolled through the Trojans with 572 total yards en route to a 48-14 non-conference victory. Osei, a junior, completed 10-of-17 for 223 yards and 4 touchdowns, and was just as dangerous when he tucked the ball away and ran, carrying 18 times for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns.
"I feel a lot more comfortable (this season)," said Osei, who led the Knights to more points in the first half (35) than they scored in any game last season. "There's a lot of preparation involved."
And the hard work showed for the Knights, as senior Mike Przespolewski silenced the purple-clad crowd early, taking an inside handoff from Osei on the Knights' opening possession and racing up the middle for an 85-yard touchdown.
"I hit the outside, cut back and just went - it felt great," said Przespolewski, who rushed for 109 yards on 3 carries.
Osei countered a 10-yard rushing touchdown by Downers Grove North quarterback Dan Sheppard (18 carries, 72 yards, 2 TDs) in the first quarter with a 1-yard plunge into the end zone, then threw 3 touchdowns in the second quarter - a 75-yard slant to sophomore Peter Bonahoom (fumble recovery, INT) and two scores to junior John Coen, including a 35-yarder as time expired in the first half.
"Miles is a good player," said Prospect coach Brent Pearlman, whose team hosts Conant next Friday. "We like the type of athlete he is - he's a very tough kid."
Osei added a 20-yard rushing touchdown and an 11-yard scoring strike to junior Sean Baltowski in the third quarter before watching junior Leo Clark take over behind center in the fourth quarter.
"(Osei) was a man amongst boys out there," said Downers North coach John Wander. "We knew what to expect because we faced him last year - we were very poor tackling, but good athletes make you look bad."