Downers Grove South lights up scoreboard at Addison Trail

Downers Grove South’s returning football players have long memories.

Undoubtedly, few have forgotten the way that the Mustangs dropped a 1-point decision to Addison Trail a year ago.

On the Mustangs’ home field — no less — in a game that helped end Downers Grove South’s three-year West Suburban Gold stronghold.

The Mustangs (2-1, 1-0) scored on their first three offensive possessions Friday, building a 21-14 halftime lead, and kept their momentum going with a 27-point third quarter on the way to a 55-42 West Suburban Gold win over the Blazers (2-1, 0-1) in Addison. The game was delayed by lightning in the fourth quarter.

Senior tailback Forest Bates gained 195 of his career-high 314 yards in the second half, including three touchdowns, during his five-touchdown performance.

“Our motivation was how they treated our home field last year and how they disrespected our program,” said Bates, who nearly had a back-breaking touchdown on the final play of the first half, but a late block in the back penalty took away a 79-yard gallop down the sideline.

“I just tried to put on a show for everybody.”

The Blazers spotted Downers South a 7-0 lead before tying the contest when quarterback Robert Morales (19 of 34, 316 yards, four touchdowns) connected with junior receiver Jaden Romeus (six catches, 122 yards, two TDs) for a 64-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter.

Downers South junior quarterback James Sobkowiak answered with a long pass of his own, firing a 53-yard touchdown strike to Nathan Thurston for a 14-7 Mustangs lead.

Addison Trail narrowed the gap to 21-14 on Morales’ 19-yard touchdown pass to Michael Clementi (11 carries, 103 yards; six catches, 75 yards) with 55 seconds left in the half.

Junior linebacker Luke Potter came up with the game’s first turnover, intercepting a Morales pass and returning it 30 yards for a touchdown that extended the Mustangs’ lead to 28-14 midway through the third quarter.

Two plays later, another interception derailed a potential drive.

After a 34-yard burst through the middle by Bates, the bruising 5-foot-8, 195-pounder tallied his third touchdown of the night from the one to make it 35-14.

Following Clementi’s second touchdown of the game, Bates capped a 44-yard drive with a 28-yard touchdown run, and Sean West’s 55-yard, pick-six increased the lead to 48-21 after three quarters.

Bates closed out his memorable performance with a 73-yard touchdown run, as the Mustangs topped the 50-point mark with 3:40 remaining.

At that point the game was delayed by lightning.

Bates had already provided some of his own thunder.

“It fueled us,” Bates said of last year’s last-minute loss to the Blazers. “This was definitely one game we wanted to get off our checklist.”