Old-school Spartans cruise past Belvidere N.
So often today what isn't hyped as the flashiest trend is dismissed as passé.
If it works, why change? Saturday, for instance, St. Francis' classic offense worked to a T - a Wing-T.
Six Spartans scored touchdowns in their 49-14 win over Belvidere North in a Class 5A first-round playoff football game in Wheaton. The efficiency moved visiting coach Curt Tobin to praise.
"Just give them credit," said Tobin, who led the Blue Thunder to the playoffs in their second year. "They're a great old-school football team, and I say that complimenting them."
Old school was definitely in. Fourth-seeded St. Francis (9-1) will host No. 5 Nazareth next week after scores on seven of nine possessions and gaining 463 yards to 154 for No. 13 Belvidere North (5-5).
"We just had to contain their quarterback (Cory Wennmacher) and control him, and we did that," said St. Francis coach Greg Purnell.
Through the air - on two first-half touchdown passes from Jeff Reckards to Brett Robinson and another to Joe Pfeiffer - or on running plays like Tony Vargyas' 35-yard touchdown through a gaping hole, the Wing-T was stylin'.
"We have multiple weapons on offense and we like to use every one of them," said Reckards, 12-of-17 passing for 175 yards. "It gives us more opportunity, more diversity, every game."
After the Spartans' 3-5 defense limited Belvidere North to 49 yards in a first half, St. Francis led 28-0, the Blue Thunder briefly threatened.
Dominique Hall returned the third-quarter kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, then Dylan Roberts recovered an onside kick.
On the next play from scrimmage Ryan O'Donnell's interception again had St. Francis off and running, literally, up 49-7 early in the fourth quarter on touchdown runs by Mark Kachmer, Dave Sufranski and Stan Bobowski.
Kachmer (ankle) and Robinson (hip) watched the fourth quarter on the sidelines, hoping to resume next week with the dominant boys on the line.
"We just had a bunch of angle blocks where they weren't expecting it," said guard Nick Pfeiffer, "to open up holes and have the running backs bounce outside and just get extra yards."