Kokosioulis scores 5 touchdowns, leads Maine South over Downers Grove South
The first round of the Class 8A football playoffs was a high-scoring affair when No. 3-seeded host Maine South faced No. 30 Downers Grove South Friday night.
The perennial power Hawks held a 14-7 lead after one quarter before taking a commanding 35-13 lead into halftime as senior running back Niko Kokosioulis scored 4 of his 5 touchdowns in the first half.
Maine South (9-1) wound up rolling to a 56-20 victory, and it will play at No. 19 Hinsdale Central (a 45-15 winner over No. 14 South Elgin) next Saturday in the second round.
The Hawks took a 7-0 lead 3:01 into the contest on a 1-yard TD run by Kokosioulis (152 yards on 21 rushes) and the extra point by Kaden Hamdan.
The Mustangs (5-5) responded strongly on their first drive as they marched 86 yards on 11 plays. Senior Daniel Mensah (92 yards on 15 carries) scored on a 5-yard run before William Mouser's extra point tied the score at 7-7 with 3:35 left in the first quarter.
The Hawks' offense took command after that point as Kokosioulis scored on touchdown runs of 29, 42, and 8 yards to make the score 28-7 with 5:45 left in the second quarter.
Then a 21-yard TD pass from Indiana-bound quarterback Jameson Purcell (22-for-26, 306 yards) to Jake Davis going over the middle boosted the lead to 35-7 with 3:10 left in the first half.
DGS never folded as sophomore quarterback James Sobkowiak hit Aidan Kanazawa with a perfect 36-yard TD pass going down the right sideline to cut the lead to 35-13 with 53 seconds left in the second quarter as the extra point was blocked.
A 4-yard TD run by Kokosioulis midway through the third quarter made the score 42-13. Then Purcell hit speedster Finn Haugh with a 67-yard TD catch and run down the left sideline for a 49-13 lead with 18 seconds left in the period.
"It was probably the greatest week of practice that we've had. We had a lot of injuries from the offensive line, but they were outstanding," said Kokosioulis. "The good thing about our offense is that we pick each other up. And when you have a quarterback like (Purcell) it really helps open everything up because teams are trying so hard to stop him that they forget about our receivers and me and what our offense can do as a team."
A 27-yard TD catch by Haugh in the right corner of the end zone resulted with a running clock for the final 8:22 of the game. Sobkowiak (15-for-29, 152 yards) hit Antoine Hardin with a 15-yard TD pass with 1:29 left to account for the final score.
"We only got stopped once right before halftime, Jameson was very comfortable in the pocket, and he was only pressured once or twice," said Maine South coach Dave Inserra. "Niko is always impressive, he's a tough kid, and he just keeps the legs churning."
Senior Joe Vieyra had 88 yards on 18 carries for the Mustangs while Hamdan was 8-for-8 on his extra points.
"They're a good program, they did a good job of executing, and they're a tough offense to stop," said DGS coach Mark Molinari. "Our kids played hard so I appreciate their effort. We had a good group of seniors, we're very young, and we're going to be very good down the line."