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Maine East enjoying best start since 2013

Football victories have been few and sometimes very far between at Maine East. But it appears that is changing this season.

The Blue Demons are off to their best start since 2013 after winning their first two games this year. And with seven games remaining, the Blue Demons have set their sights higher.

“I know that Maine East has not been known for any kind of football success,” said Jay Bibbs, who became the new head coach of the Blue Demons this season.

“But that is the objective that we set up to change this summer.”

There was a span from 2005 through 2008 that the Blue Demons did not win a game. That meant that an incoming freshman at the Park Ridge school never experienced a football victory.

With three consecutive losses to close out the 2004 season, Maine East had a string of 39 consecutive losses. And since the 2009 season, the Blue Demons have won two games or more in just three seasons.

So, Bibbs knew he had a challenge when he was named head coach in the late spring.

One of the first things he did was to attempt to increase the number of players on his team. That effort bore fruit as the program more than doubled in size this year from 40 players to 82.

Offensively, the Blue Demons scored 44 points in their first two games. They only scored 73 last season.

They are led by quarterback Tryfon Giolas, who has run for a pair of touchdowns this season while throwing for another. Allen Vujic has been the main cog in running the football while Salam Aro, Sam Oppong and Shahwaiz Jan have been key to the receiving part of the offense.

Defensively, the Blue Demons have allowed just 13 points in their first two games. That’s after giving up 38 points per game last year.

Okiki Oulurotimi has 11 tackles in each of Maine East’s first two games. He has got huge help Victor Nitchev with 18 tackles along with Christopher Seeley, Tomas Khamo and Adonis Larios.

“We are going to try to fly around the football,” said Bibbs, who was the defensive coordinator at Rich Township last season. “That’s a big part of our game.”

It may be too early to start thinking about the playoffs for the Blue Demons — especially for a program that has only qualified for the playoffs once in 1977.

“It’s all a process right now,” Bibbs said. “We are just taking it one week at a time.”

Surprising fast and slow starts

Fremd, which has not had a winning season since the 20-21 COVID season, is off to a 2-0 start. That’s thanks in part to solid play from quarterback Johhny O’Brien and wide receiver Brennan Saxe. A stalwart defense, led by Will Klimas, Troy Pepe, Alex Foreman, John Stevens, Luke McIlhon, Devyn Kuhn and Saxe, has allowed only 9 points.

Schaumburg, also 2-0 for the first time since 2013, is off to a terrific start. Javonte McCoy, David Van Den Boom and Brandon Carver lead a defense that has given up 28 points. Ray Black helped lead the Saxons to a pair of late-game victories.

Nothing could be slower than the MSL East. After two weeks, the conference is just 1-11.

The only victory came from Rolling Meadows in last week’s East vs. West crossover games when the Mustangs knocked off Conant for coach Robbie Gould’s first win. The East went 1-5 against the West for the second consecutive year.

Meanwhile, Buffalo Grove, Prospect and Hersey, which all have made the playoffs the last three seasons, have been outscored this season 228-121.

MSL-CSL Games begin

These next two weeks will feature the Mid-Suburban League vs. Central Suburban League crossover games. Last year, the MSL went 16-8 against the CSL, and since the series premiered in 2019, the MSL leads, 75-28.

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