Focused Elk Grove looks forward to LZ
Some of Elk Grove’s players were stunned when they heard public address announcer Ken Grams give the Lake Zurich-Glenbard West score Saturday afternoon.
“That’s a shocker,” said Elk Grove senior wide receiver-defensive back Fernando Lozano of Lake Zurich’s 10-3 upset of unbeaten and Class 7A title contender Glenbard West. “Anybody can beat anybody on any Friday or Saturday and we saw that today.”
But the general consensus among the Grenadiers was they weren’t looking ahead when their 32-point halftime lead was cut to 10 in their 39-22 second-round win over visiting Machesney Park Harlem.
“Inside we kept on saying, ‘Don’t be pleased with the score,’” Lozano said. “Coach Mags (assistant Rick Magsamen) always says nothing matters less than the score at halftime.
“We knew we still had the lead and we had to do our thing. We had to stay calm and not panic.”
So, instead of a trip to Glen Ellyn, the Grenadiers will head up to Lake Zurich (9-2) for a 1 p.m. Saturday game. They know it will be a big challenge against a program that was second in the state last year and is making its fifth quarterfinal appearance in six years.
“It will be a fun — it will be a defensive battle,” said Elk Grove senior Dejan Basara.
“I was really surprised and when I heard it I said, ‘Oh, wow,’” Elk Grove sophomore defensive lineman Johnny Assimakopoulos said of Lake Zurich’s win without injured quarterback Zach Till. “But Lake Zurich is a really good team.”
It will be the Grens’ first quarterfinal trip since 2004. They reached the semifinals in 1981 when only two wins were needed to get there.
“It’s unbelievable for our community and our school,” said third-year Elk Grove coach Brian Doll. “We want to keep it going for the kids and the school and (retiring defensive assistant Mike) Mullaney. We don’t want to see him finished yet.”
— Marty MaciaszekTime will tell for Till:Lake Zurich won its 18th state-playoff game since 2006 on Saturday, defeating host Glenbard West 10-3. While defense was again the story for the Bears, it was the first time they won in the postseason without their starting quarterback. Steven Kuhn replaced Zach Till, who suffered a broken left foot and sprained ankle late in the fourth quarter of Lake Zurich#146;s playoff-opening win over Geneva. On Wednesday, Till received medical clearance to practice. He did light running Wednesday and Thursday, but said he reaggravated the injury Thursday. It was then that the senior said he knew he would not play against Glenbard West. #147;We just knew it wasn#146;t getting better, not good enough to play,#148; said Till, who scored 4 touchdowns against Geneva, after rushing for a school-record 5 the previous week against Zion-Benton. He watched Saturday#146;s game on crutches. #147;I was going crazy on the sideline,#148; Till said. #147;(Glenbard West#146;s) defense played amazing. Our defense played amazing.#148; Lake Zurich plays in the quarterfinals for the fifth time in six years when it takes on Elk Grove next. #147;I#146;m going to try (to play),#148; Till said.#8212; Joe AguilarWind favors Batavia:Of all the Batavia and Lake Forest players who felt the affects of the wind Saturday in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs, nobody had to fight it more than the Bulldogs#146; Jon Gray and the Scouts#146; Evan Boudreaux.Those were the two punters, and nothing illustrated what kind of day it was more than their numbers.Gray and Boudreaux combined for 14 punts. Four of them came with the wind at their back, and on those kicks they averaged 44 yards a boot.Unfortunately for them, 10 times they had to punt into the wind, and those kicks yielded a 22.2 average. And that doesn#146;t count another kick into the wind that was blocked.Over 21 yards a kick difference depending on the wind, that#146;s the impact.That wind played such a big part in the game that Batavia coach Dennis Piron said it was a deciding factor in his team#146;s 31-17 win, a game the Bulldogs trailed 17-10 entering the fourth quarter.#147;Getting the wind in the fourth quarter, that was the turning point,#148; Piron said. #147;It was a very mental thing for both teams. You could see it.#148;Late in the first quarter with Lake Forest deep in its own territory, Piron called two timeouts to force the Scouts to punt into the wind. A 22-yard punt gave the Bulldogs great field position and led to the first of Alec Lyons#146; 3 touchdown runs on the next series.#147;I thought that was important to do and that got us some points,#148; Piron said. #147;We thought making them punt into the wind was critical.#147;Nature helped us today.#148;Batavia will put its best-ever 11-0 record on the line this weekend at 9-2 Lakes in the Class 6A quarterfinals.#8212; John LemonWW South leaning on #147;D#148;:With Wheaton Warrenville South#146;s offense struggling to move the ball, the Tigers (8-3) turned the game over to their defense and special teams in Friday#146;s 7-0 win at Lincoln-Way East.How tough was it for the offense? Northwestern-bound running back Dan Vitale managed 22 yards on 18 carries. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Graham was hurt on the first possession of the game but had to return when Thaddeus Armstrong was hurt early in the fourth quarter.Out of lemons, though, the eighth-seeded Tigers made lemonade in advancing to the Class 7A quarterfinals to play at No. 5 East St. Louis.#147;Give credit to our defensive coaches, you know, they ask me for advice very little any more,#148; Tigers coach Ron Muhitch said of defensive coordinator Mark Jackson and his staff. #147;And I#146;m trying to figure out a way to get an offense to score more than one touchdown.#148;In addition to the defense, Tigers punter Nick Campos also played a crucial role in the win. A 56-yard punt pinned the Griffins at their 3-yard line, eventually leading to the game#146;s lone touchdown.Then in the game#146;s final minute, with Lincoln-Way East rushing all 11 players, Campos got off a 31-yard punt to help seal the win.#147;Our punter has been a very unknown kid,#148; Muhitch said. #147;Nick Campos can punt the football, and he can punt it very well.#148;#8212; Kevin SchmitWhat pressure? With the way Aurora Christian#146;s defense was struggling Friday night at Oregon in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs, it seemed Eagles quarterback Anthony Maddie needed to score each possession to keep up.Maddie nearly did, completing 19 of 22 passes for 381 yards and 3 passing touchdowns while also rushing for 2 scores. Aurora Christian (10-1) won 34-21 and will host Winnebago in the quarterfinals this weekend.The Western Michigan-bound Maddie said the pressure to score is no different than what the offense expects out of itself each time it has the ball.#147;It#146;s never pressure,#148; Maddie said. #147;Offensively you have to ignore what the defense is doing. We count on our defense to get stops but they count on us to score every time we get the ball.#148;#8212; John Lemon