Maine West has its hands full with No. 1
Maine West coach Chris Hare, a former assistant at Maine South, knew he'd have his hands full going back to Park Ridge on Thursday night as his Warriors faced the defending Class 8A state champion Hawks.
That turned out to be a huge understatement.
Hare, who spend 15 years coaching at South, watched his team fall victim to big play after big play as the host Hawks, the state's top-ranked team, defeated Maine West 63-0 in a Central Suburban League crossover.
The Warriors showed a lot of toughness on defense by limiting Maine South to only a little over 100 yards rushing, but the Hawks gained 340 yards through the air.
"They're ranked number one, and rightfully so - they're a great team in all facets of the game," said Hare.
"They've got a great program, and it's my job to get our program up to the level that they're at - but we're not there yet."
Running back Charlie Vana was the primary threat on offense for Maine West, gaining 35 yards on 13 carries, while on defense junior safety Brian Jozefat intercepted a fourth-quarter Imran Khan pass and returned it 47 yards for the Warriors only foray into Maine South territory.
"He (Vana) has been a big surprise for us," said Hare. "He runs hard and gives us a spark. He's a senior, and this is the first year he's played running back."
As usual, quarterback Tyler Benz and running back Matt Perez did most of the damage for the Hawks.
Benz was 12-of-15 through the air for 224 yards, while Perez rushed for 54 yards and a score, caught 3 passes for 100 yards including 2 for touchdowns, and returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown.
Khan threw for 116 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown strike to Scott Derrick as the starters on both teams played only the first half.
Maine West junior wide receiver Mike Cardamone caught 3 passes for 37 yards, and quarterback Ron Gajewski threw for 66 yards. Defensive players Mike Farlas, Christian Nunez, and Vana combined on a first-quarter, 11-yard sack of Benz to force the Hawks into their only punt of the game.
"Our achilles heel this year," said Hare, "is that when the other team goes ahead, we get down on ourselves.
"In our first game and our third game, we were able to mount comebacks, but you can't come back against a team of this caliber."