Waite, Mlady pile up offense for Naperville North

Naperville North's coaches insisted on seeing an improvement in their defense's performance in Friday night's game at Oswego East. Naperville North's defenders delivered on that demand, the offense exceeded any expectations of its own, and a team with a target on its back used that as motivation in a 55-13 victory.

The Huskies (2-0) held the Wolves (1-1) to 66 total yards in the game while rolling for 427 yards themselves in the win.

"The most important thing we needed to do this week was to see improvement in our defensive effort, and I'm pleased with tonight's results," Huskies coach Larry McKeon said.

While Naperville North's defense was getting the Wolves off the field quickly-it didn't allow a first down to its hosts until the final drive of the game - the offense was controlling the clock with 354 total rushing yards. Senior running backs Nick Mlady and Pat Waite led the unit, combining for 224 yards and 5 TDs.

In the 10 total Naperville North possessions, the offense scored 8 touchdowns, lost 1 fumble and turned the ball over on downs while trying to score a touchdown inside the 10-yard line just before halftime.

In the first quarter Naperville North's defense held the Wolves without a first down in three tries while the offense opened a 14-0 lead. The margin was extended to 20-0 early in the second quarter on a 31-yard touchdown pass to Waite from quarterback Matt LaCosse. It was Waite's third score of the night.

The Wolves then answered immediately with an 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Antoine Allen-Jackson, cutting the deficit to 13 points with almost three full quarters to play.

"At that point we felt that we really needed to dominate the game the rest of the way out," Huskies running backs coach Mike Ellberg said. "When you have the targets on your back that we do, you have to make sure that you don't let any team get the confidence they're looking for to turn the game around," he said.

The entire Naperville North team did exactly that for the rest of the game, scoring another 13 points in the second quarter, then 21 in the second half as many of Naperville North's reserve players saw action.

"We were hoping that we wouldn't see a clean uniform by the end of the night, and I think we came pretty close to that goal," Ellberg said.

"We like what the team did tonight," McKeon said. "We got what we were looking for from the defense, all of our running backs played well, and they were just running through massive holes the line created for them. We're very pleased."

- Roy Taylor

Glenbard North 34, Crystal Lake South 17: One hundred fifty yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries - and that was just the first half for Glenbard North running back Tyler Doll.

Doll piled up 208 yards and 3 scores by the time the game was done, leading the Panthers to a 34-17 home opener victory over Crystal Lake South. It was a much needed victory after being upset last week at Bartlett.

"We had to win this game," Doll said. "Everyone wanted to get some momentum going into conference."

A big offensive line and strong lead blocking by fullback Jordan Brooks opened sometimes gaping holes for Doll, and he did the rest. The Panthers worked the ball inside and outside relentlessly.

"We really wore them down," Doll said.

Glenbard North coach Ryan Wilkens wanted to see that sort of dominance after the running game sputtered too often against Bartlett in the season-opening loss.

"We were disappointed when we weren't able to run the ball (last week)," WIlkens said. "We're a run-oriented team, and we knew that was something we needed to work on."

Still, Doll didn't expect to carry the ball nearly 24 times before halftime. "I was pretty shocked," he said.

He shocked the visiting Gators, too, scoring on 10- and 5-yard runs in the first quarter. A 58-yard pass from Evan Watkins to Mike Carev early in the second quarter boosted the lead to 21-0.

Crystal Lake South (1-1), meanwhile, was struggling. It ran just 19 offensive plays in the first half, getting its only score when Mike Frericks intercepted a tipped ball and gave the Gators the ball at the Panthers' 5-yard line. Derek Mortensen ran it twice from there, scoring on a 2-yard dash.

But Doll came back after catching his breath at halftime and scored on a fourth-down play. Watkins did a nice play-action fake and handed off to Doll, who ran in 30 yards for his third touchdown.

A safety and a pass from Drew Ormseth to Alex Macaulay cut the lead to 28-17, but Brandon Salemi intercepted Ormseth on the Gators' next possession and ran it 12 yards into the end zone, ending the threat.

"This felt like a huge win for us," Salemi said. "This week we stepped it up."

Gators coach Jim Stuglis said Glenbard North looked hungry after starting the season 0-1.

"They found out they can't look past anybody, and that's the sign of a good team," Stuglis said. "To a man, they're bigger than we are. Their offensive and defensive lines took it to us tonight. The biggest thing we'll take from this is (we) didn't quit. We made it a little bit of a game."

- Walt Wiltschek

Glenbard South 34, Fenton 7: When Glenbard South got the football, the Raiders tended not to hold onto it very long.

It had nothing to do with turnovers and everything to do with big plays in a 34-7 victory against Glen Ellyn.

The Raiders got their first big play of the night on the opening kickoff, an 86-yard return for a touchdown by junior Nick Slezak. It set the right tone for the Raiders, who needed something to feel good about after last week's blowout loss to cross-town rival Glenbard West.

"It was very good (start)," Slezak said. "We were all super intense before the game. We had to bounce back from the loss last week. It was a good way to start the season at home."

Senior running back Curtis Ford delivered the next big play, sprinting 85 yards through the middle of the Bison defense for a touchdown late in the first quarter. Ford finished with 147 yards on just 9 carries for the night.

"We came out wanting to stick it," Ford said.

Another Slezak touchdown gave the Raiders (1-1) a 21-0 halftime lead in the nonconference game.

Quarterback Kevin Marshall scored on a 16-yard run and Jon Holland caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Trace Wanless to give the Raiders a 34-0 lead in the third quarter.

An Andy Dexter 1-yard plunge for Fenton (1-1) in the fourth quarter broke up the shutout.

- Orrin Schwarz

Glenbard West 23, Leyden 2: In order to make a deep run in this year's class 7A postseason tournament, the Glenbard West Hilltoppers will need to play physical on both sides of the ball.

A tough Hilltoppers defense carried the load for Glenbard West, paving the way for a 23-2 victory over Leyden in Northlake.

Glenbard West allowed the Eagles just 85 yards of total offense, including a paltry 3 yards on the ground.

"I think our defense had a great effort. We certainly have to (defend) a little bit better on the pass, but I think our defense played like a championship-level defense," Hilltoppers coach Chad Hetlet said. "I think that it's the other side of the ball that we need to clean up."

Glenbard West (2-0) picked up just 23 points despite being handed quality field position all night by both its defense and special teams. A fumble recovery on Robert Cook's first punt of the game gave Glenbard West the ball on Leyden's 10-yard line, and running back Matt Hassan punched it in two plays later for an early 7-0 lead.

"We work on it quite a bit, more than probably most teams," Hetlet said of his special teams unit. "We work all summer on it, and we take a lot of pride in special teams."

The offense's lone highlight came with 4:27 remaining in the first quarter, when quarterback Tyler Warden hit Cook on a simple screen play. After some slick maneuvering in the open field by Cook, the Hilltoppers had themselves a 68-yard touchdown and a 14-0 advantage.

Still, Hetlet remained pert urbed about his offense's lack of toughness.

"Their defense outplayed our offense," Hetlet said. "They were more physical than our offense was."

Leyden (1-1) registered its only points of the game midw ay through the third quarter, when a long-snap from the Hilltoppers 2-yard line sailed over Cook's head and out of bounds for a safety. Glenbard West added a second rushing touchdown and a field goal to ice the game.

Leyden connected on 56 percent of its plays through the air, yet failed to execute a single play from scrimmage longer than 15 yards.

"When we had the oppor unity to make some big plays, we just missed on some," Eagles coach Tom Cerasani said. "We just missed on a long throw, on protection and things like that."

Glenbard West opens its conference schedule next week against Oak Park-River Forest, a team coming off a 19-point victory over Willowbrook.

"It's going to be a tough game, and they're going to come out hard," Cook said. "They're a really good team this year, and we're going to have to bring our 'A' game."

- Matthew McClarey

Glenbard East 27, Oak Lawn 13: Whenever Glenbard East needed a play to be made, junior quarterback Jack Merrithey made it happen. On a fourth-and-1 play on the 11-yard line with under 3:30 to play and the Rams leading 21-13, Glenbard East coach Dennis Lueck decided to go for it instead of opting for a field goal, a play which helped seal the game as East (2-0) beat Oak Lawn 27-13. On that play Merrithey took the snap and rolled to his right, beat one defender and went in for an 11-yard score to seal the game. That was the last of his 3 rushing touchdowns and he also threw for 95 yards and a score.

"That play was a pass, but I planned on keeping it the whole time," Merrithey said.

"It was a boot pass," Lueck said. "I told him to keep it if he wants because he knows where the sticks are. I told him to get the first and stay inbounds. He obviously did more than that. He made lots of big plays for us."

Merrithey wasn't the only one who stepped up, the defense also stepped up big. In the first drive of the game, the Spartans (0-2) marched right down the field, picking up 4 first downs along the way, and got the ball inside the red zone. On a fourth-and-1 on the 12-yard line, Oak Lawn decided to go for it. That decision didn't work out for the Spartans as David Sic hit the running back in the backfield, causing a turnover on downs.

The Rams went on an 88-yard drive that was topped off on a Merrithey 9-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession.

"Anytime our defense steps up and buckles down in the red zone and gets us the ball, we want to score to reward them for their effort," Merrithey said. "I think both sides of the ball really set the tone early on."

- Jason Watt

Oak Park 29, Willowbrook 10: With numerous new starters, experience may be lacking for Willowbrook at this early stage of the season. But the hard work the Warriors are putting in on the field will bode well for future success. Case in point was Friday's 29-10 loss to visiting Oak Park River Forest in Villa Park.

While Willowbrook couldn't match the Huskies spread offense, it showed glimpses of what it can do. Trailing 16-3 at halftime, the Warriors opened the third quarter by grinding out a 12-play, 74-yard drive capped by a 5-yard touchdown run by running back Steven Frobel to pull within 6 points following the extra point. Halfback Jibril Jones also had some nice rushes during that stretch.

"We challenged the kids at halftime and they rebounded," said Willowbrook coach Mark Olson. "They played hard. We had our chances."

The Huskies (1-1) countered with a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter. Oak Park junior quarterback Elliott Davidson had a monster game with 2 touchdown passes and a touchdown run to finish with 182 yards passing and 96 yards running. Tailback James Cole also piled up 101 yards on 15 carries, including a 26-yard touchdown scamper late in the contest.

In the first half one of the highlights for the Warriors (0-2) was a 59-yard interception return by cornerback Mike Kane, who got to the Huskies' 2-yard line. But Willowbrook could only manage a 21-yard field goal by Sean Dunn.

One possible concern for Willowbrook is the status of starting quarterback Brian Montee who got injured on an attempt to block a field goal in the first quarter. Montee sat on the bench for the rest of the game and backup Brad Collins took his place.

- Brian Pitts

Downers Grove North 38, Addison Trail 6: When Addison Trail's Mike D'Ambrose ran in a 77-yard touchdown on Friday's first play of the game against Downers Grove North, Trojans coach John Wander felt a chill up his back.

"We were all thinking, 'Oh, no. Not this again,' " Wander said, referring to the Trojans' 48-14 loss to Prospect last week.

The Trojans' faithful can rest easy. Downers Grove North (1-1) got a pair of touchdown runs from Jermal Jones, and one each from Joe Claver, Leo Ellis, and Marco Sanchez in beating the Blazers (0-2) in Addison.

After the Trojans took a 14-6 halftime lead, Joe Tokarski had a big third quarter to help key the win. The senior carried the ball 5 times for 111 yards in the quarter, including a 60-yard run that set up a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Jones.

"Our offense came out ready to play tonight," Tokarski said. "When the offensive line produces, we all produce."

"The kids battled back and did a real good job," Wander said. "I'm happy with the defense, too. They swarmed the ball a little bit tonight."

The Trojans held the Blazers to 136 total yards of offense, while posting 256 rushing yards and passing for another 126 yards.

- Gary Larsen

Prairie Ridge 27, Waubonsie Valley 24: Being undersized didn't hinder Prairie Ridge in its home opener against Waubonsie Valley. The Wolves' used its running game and defense led by Will Mack to just get past the Warriors 27-24 in the nonconference contest.

"If we were in a fight with the them (Waubonsie) it wouldn't even be close," Wolves coach Chris Schremp said. "There is no doubt in my mind they had the best 11 athletes, but as long as we have the best 11 on the field we can win that. I stressed to them all week long to do the little things right and I think our guys really focused on that."

Prairie Ridge started the game off by losing the football on its first play in its opening drive. The Warriors took full advantage of the turnover by scoring a touchdown on a 13-yard pass from Tyler Castro to Marck Szott. Castro would open the game throwing 9-for-12 for 91 yards.

The Wolves came back on the ensuing possession and scored on a 53-yard run by Todd Budy. The whole drive consisted of just four running plays totaling 80-yards.

With Prairie Ridge up 21-10 coming out of halftime, the Warriors brought the game to within 4 on a 66-yard pass from Castro to Scott Kuehn. Kuehn would end up with 135-yards receiving on the day.

Just when the Warriors thought the momentum had shifted, Mack returned the ball 85-yards to put Prairie Ridge (2-0) up 10 with just a quarter left to play. This was the second week in a row where Mack did a great job on returning kicks.

"We knew we wanted to try and get the momentum because we had it going into the half," Mack said. "Last week I broke one but I made one too many moves and didn't make it. I just focused on that to make it all the way and I count on my guys to make the blocks and they did it."

The Warriors (0-2) did have one last chance to come back and either tie or win the game. With 4:26 remaining in the game, Waubonsie took the ball on its own 39-yard line. After getting as close to Prairie Ridge's 30, Mack deflected Castro's pass on fourth down at the goal line to secure the win.

"Well we didn't take advantage of the opportunities to score," Warriors coach Paul Murphy said. "We had the momentum in the second play of the second half, but we gave it right back to them and it took us until the fourth quarter to get it back. I thought we were going to score on the last drive, but we just missed on some passes."

- Brian Reye

Batavia 43, West Chicago 20: Four touchdown runs, 3 touchdown passes, a 90-yard kickoff return for another score, a successful fake punt, 53 points and 551 total yards.

And, believe it or not, all of that took place in the first half.

Senior quarterback Jordan Coffey topped the 300-yard passing mark, completing 21 of 31 attempts for 301 yards and 4 touchdowns, while wide receiver Erich Zeddies caught 9 passes for 180 yards and 4 TDs to help spark Batavia (1-1) to a 43-20 nonconference victory over visiting West Chicago (1-1) .

After falling behind 26-7 at halftime of last week's eventual 32-21 loss to St. Charles East, the Bulldogs scored both early and often, putting together touchdown drives on 5 of their first 6 opening-half possessions while building a 33-20 advantage at the intermission.

"Coming off last week, we wanted to score early and as much as possible to get them (the Wildcats) down because it's always hard to come from behind," said Zeddies, who had 7 receptions for 131 yards and 3 TDs in the first half.

Despite all of the lofty Bulldog aerial numbers, it was the ground game that helped account for the game's first score as Ryan Webb raced 37 yards for a TD to cap a 6-play, 90-yard drive on Batavia's opening possession.

After West Chicago knotted the score at 7-7 on Alex Pirela's 3-yard run late in the first quarter, the Bulldogs began their second-quarter assault when Coffey tossed a 13-yard TD pass to Zeddies, providing the home team with a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Following a fumble recovery by senior defensive back Drew Dienslake, Kyle Duhig, starting in place of injured senior tailback J.R. Kabba (knee), sprinted 18 yards for a touchdown to make it 19-7.

Just 11 seconds later, the Wildcats answered as Edward Miranda took the ensuing kick and burst up the middle for a 90-yard TD return to close the gap to 19-14.

Faced with a fourth-and-8 play near midfield, Batavia coach Mike Gaspari elected to go for it, and the strategy paid off when Coffey connected with Zeddies on a 45-yard TD strike to make it 25-14.

Once again, the Wildcats struck with another big play just 21 seconds later as Chris Jackson took off on an electrifying 68-yard TD run to help the visitors pull within 25-20 with 1:37 left in the first half.

But the Coffey-to-Zeddies combination was simply too much for the Wildcats' defense, as the Batavia tandem hooked up on another fade pattern for a 12-yard TD pass with 24.7 seconds remaining before halftime to make it 33-20.

"They were playing up a little bit and playing inside," Zeddies said of the Wildcats' defensive backs. "I'd just fade to the corner constantly and Jordan (Coffey) was putting the ball there on the money every time. I just went up and got it."

The play turned out to a backbreaker of sorts for the Wildcats, who were kept off the scoreboard with just 3 first downs in the second half.

"If we could have just gone in (trailing) 25-20 at half, that would have given us some life in the second half," said West Chicago coach Hal Chiodo, whose team had blanked Evanston (13-0) in its season debut one week earlier.

"The pass is what we defended well last week but we could not stop the pass this week. They're a great football team and they're a classy outfit. We certainly didn't get beat by a poor football team. I'm certainly not happy to lose but I'm not ashamed of the way our guys played."

- Craig Brueske

West Aurora 41, Elgin 26: Most football coaches will tell you that special teams often decides games. West Aurora showed exactly why. Markus Cocroft returned a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown to break open a 1-point game as the Blackhawks defeated Elgin 41-26 at Memorial Field.

"Every time we get a kickoff or kick return we look to score," Cocroft said. "That's what (assistant coach Mike Powers) tell us. Special teams can change the game."

The Maroons' Jamal Cook scored on a 13-yard run, his third touchdown of the game, with 7:04 remaining in the third quarter. But a bad snap on the PAT attempt allowed West Aurora to hold onto a 21-20 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, Cocroft scampered 81 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown as the Blackhawks (2-0) took a 28-20 lead. Elgin got one first down on its next possession before having to punt. Cocroft fielded the punt at his own 24, started up the middle, cut left, then cut back to the middle, and outran the Maroons for a 76-yard score.

The Blackhawks were unable to convert the PAT, but led 34-20. They scored twice in less than 2 1/2 minutes without running an offensive play.

"(Cocroft) has a little bit of a gift for it," Blackhawks coach Buck Drach said. "Every time he does it, and I think it's true for any kick returner, the more confident and the more comfortable they get."

A bad snap on a punt on the Maroons' next possession gave the Blackhawks the ball on Elgin's 27. One the first play of the fourth quarter, Garrett Rivers ran the ball in from one yard out as West Aurora went up 41-20. Elgin senior quarterback Tom Roth connected on his third long touchdown pass, this one a 30-yarder to Tim Newcombe, with 6:32 remaining in the game to cut the deficit to 41-26.

"I thought our play was better today than last week (a 47-25 loss at Plainfield Central)," Elgin coach Dave Bierman said. "There were some inprovements from last week. But we have to get a lot better a lot sooner."

Roth, who connected with Cook for 34-yard and 46-yard touchdowns in the first half, was 15-of-35 passing for 236 yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception. Cook had 4 catches for 110 yards and rushed six times for 62 yards, scoring 3 times.

Leon Spears had 118 yards rushing, 95 in the first half, on 21 carries for the Blackhawks, who also got a 29-yard kickoff return from Josh Zinzer late in the first half that led to the go-ahead score after Elgin tied the game at 14-14.

Cocroft added 3 receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown. John Nunnally was 7-of-11 for 120 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also scored on a 3-yard touchdown to help West Aurora overcome two turnovers on its opening two possessions.

- Brian Schaumburg