Warren makes quick work of Wauconda
Warren halfback Nolan Sordyl runs fast and cuts faster.
"He's one of (the fastest players on the team)," fullback Tom Lindal acknowledged. "He's up there - (safety/linebacker) Matt Goad, (cornerback) Billy Cressler, him. They're all real fast."
Against host Wauconda in a North Suburban Conference crossover Thursday night, Warren scored Sordyl-like fast.
In less than a minute's worth of possession time on three of their first four series, the Blue Devils scored 3 touchdowns.
That speed killed.
Behind Lindal's 4 TDs, Sordyl's 156 rushing yards on just 10 carries and an offense that ran for a collective 333 yards, Warren cruised to a 42-0 win. The victory evened the Blue Devils' record at 2-2, while handing Wauconda (1-3) its third straight loss.
"That was good," said a relieved Warren coach Dave Mohapp, finally able to smile after a game that wasn't a loss for his team or didn't go overtime. "We've just had different things that we've encountered that we've had to clean up. I'm glad (the players) got themselves on the right track. We've just been really working on fundamentals - just trying to block, tackle and get 11 guys in the huddle."
Led by Gary Eppinger, Jovan DuBose and Goad, Warren sacked Wauconda quarterback Brian Kent three times on the game's opening series.
"It's definitely a surprise when you (face) an offense like this," Eppinger said of the Bulldogs' spread option that had produced 98 points through three weeks. "The quarterback is so dominating. You just got to find a way to stop him."
On Warren's first possession, Sordyl busted off a 42-yard run. He scored on the next snap from 15 yards out.
Possession time: 34 seconds.
Then after Cressler recovered a Wauconda fumble, Sordyl sped 43 yards to the hosts' 1. Lindal scored from there.
Possession time: 20 seconds.
Wauconda's defense stopped Warren on the Blue Devils' next possession, but Mitch Munda's 55-yard punt return put the ball at the Wauconda 5. Lindal then took the next snap into the end zone.
Possession time: 3 seconds.
"We finally had a breakout game that we needed and had some fun," said Lindal, the three-year varsity starter who had a breakout game himself with 107 rushing yards on just 12 carries.
Mohapp called Kent a "phenomenal" quarterback. Kent, the conference's leading passer with 722 yards through three weeks, finished just 12 of 29 for 123 yards and was intercepted twice (by Brandon Tyler and Connor Hartmann).
Kent was sacked three times, was tackled for a loss on a running play and was pressured relentlessly by Warren's aggressive defense.
"That's a great offensive scheme that they got right there," Mohapp said. "They do a good job of protecting (Kent), and they did a good job against us. We tried to get after him and had a hard time. He's an athlete. He breaks contain, he makes plays happen, and he's got a couple of wideouts (Brandon Dorsey and Jake Ziolkowski) that are really good players. They had a couple of drops tonight, unfortunately for them."
Warren led 28-0 at halftime, got Lindal's fourth TD early in the third quarter and commenced a running clock when backup Jay Malone scored from 2 yards out midway through the third.
"Hopefully," Eppinger said, "we're getting better."