Addison Trail knocks off Willowbrook

Addison Trail used a late barrage of points to break open what was a see-saw matchup Friday night against West Suburban Gold rival Willowbrook. The Blazers won 27-17.

Neither team could get much going early, as both defenses held strong until the Blazers had the initial strike in the second quarter with a 10-yard pass from quarterback Ryan Zygowicz to wideout Jake Atiyeh. Zygowicz stepped in for senior Mike Rybarczyk, who suffered a broken ankle last week.

Two touchdowns in less than a minute before the end of the first half gave the Warriors some much-needed momentum. However they could not maintain the same level of intensity, only scoring 3 points in the second half.

The Warriors (2-7, 2-4) had no answer for the running game of the Blazers (8-1, 6-0), as running back Mike Hundley racked up an astonishing 293 yards rushing, including a breakaway 94-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to help seal the deal.

"All week, we had the keys to win this game. We practiced hard but made some mental errors in the first half. Coming out of halftime, we just talked about getting our stuff together, and we were able to do what we did tonight," Atiyeh said.

"We kept fighting, and I think it says a lot about the resiliency of our kids. They never quit, and I talked to Ryan all week about the different mindsets in regard to starting a ballgame versus coming off the bench, and I think he did a great job," Blazers coach Paul Parpet Jr. added. "I think he made one bad pass with the interception, which I'll take the blame for, but we just have to keep getting improving and keep working at it and getting better."