OP_090116

More documents

Recommendations

Info

46 | September 1, 2016 | The orland park prairie Sports opprairie.com Sandburg faces injury, loss in season-opener Brucki sidelined during second quarter of Game 1 Dave Owen, Freelance Reporter A second-quarter injury to star running back/linebacker Patrick Brucki and a 42- 14 loss to Naperville North made for a painful Friday, Aug. 26, for Sandburg’s football team. But the strong return to an old position for senior Collin Friedsam provided a silver lining. Friedsam completed 12- of-26 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns, and made big plays in the wake of Brucki’s injury to help the Eagles rally from a 21-0 deficit to close the score to 21-14 at halftime. “Patrick’s our leader, the heart of this team,” Friedsam said. “We knew we all had to step up.” A quarterback throughout his playing career, Friedsam (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) shifted to tight end this past fall. “Collin’s a good athlete,” Sandburg coach Scott Peters said. “We had a two-year starter at quarterback, and we couldn’t just have Collin sit on the bench, so we found another spot for him. “He’s a good kid, and he works hard. He’s going to be a good quarterback.” Friedsam showed big signs of that in the second quarter, with his team reeling from both the loss of Brucki and a 21-0 deficit. Friedsam’s 37-yard pass to Jamare Parker down the left sideline ignited the comeback, and Friedsam followed with a clutch 12-yard pass to Ayo Abiona on fourth down and 10 yards to the Naperville North 26-yard line. The next play, Friedsam hit Parker deep left with a 26-yard touchdown pass to make the score 21-7. The ensuing kickoff added fuel to the momentum, as John Murphy’s fumble recovery gave the Eagles the ball right back at the Huskies’ 34-yard line. Friedsam again showed poise, rolling away from pressure on fourth-and-4, with 1 minute and 2 seconds left in the half, to hit Abiona for a 17-yard touchdown pass in the front of the end zone to send Sandburg into the break with only a sevenpoint deficit. “Our offense looked really good,” Friedsam said. “We were driving the ball. We had momentum. Then, in the second half, we just came out flat and had execution problems. We’ll be all right, Sandburg Ayo Abiona tries to dodge a Naperville North defender during the game. though. We’ll come out next week ready to get it done.” Naperville North turned the tide for good at an unlikely time — after a Jared Monnett punt rolled dead at the 1-yard line. The Huskies went 99 yards on six plays to take a 28-14 lead, sparked by runs of seven and 51 yards to open the drive. Despite another Sandburg drive to the Naperville North 44-yard line on its next possession — featuring a 16-yard pass from Friedsam to Grant Glover — the Huskies added scores on their next two possessions to take command. “It was good to see them respond and get back in the game,” Peters said of his team’s second-quarter rally. ”But at the end of the day, Sandburg quarterback Collin Friedsam fires a pass under pressure Friday, Aug. 26, during the season-opener against Naperville North, in Orland Park. Photos by Seamus Scanlan/22nd Century Media [Naperville North was] the better team and physically were taking it to us a little bit. That was the tone on both sides of the ball.” Losing the talents and hard-hitting aggressiveness of Brucki did not help. He was injured on a Naperville North running play in the second quarter and spent the rest of the night on crutches, with a heavily wrapped leg just above the right ankle. “He’s a guy that we count on, on both sides of the ball,” Peters said. “That’s obviously a big blow to the team, but hopefully he’ll be all right. And if not, we need somebody else to step up.” Players like Friedsam already have shown versatility and drive to help the team wherever needed. Pulling together for next week’s trip to Lincoln-Way Central is just the latest test. “We’ve always had a tough time with them, so there’s definitely some revenge from a lot of our seniors,” Friedsam said. “We’re going to work extra hard to get that ‘W’ in our last year against them.” As for his 2016 debut, Friedsam was happy to be back at quarterback. “I’ve been playing quarterback my whole life, so I’ve still got it in me,” he said. “I absolutely love leading the offense and being the leader. This is the best game, stepping out here on Friday night. There’s nothing better.” Friedsam sees much more potential for himself and the Eagles. “I think I could have performed a little better,” he said. “But it’s only Week 1, so all of our guys are going to be more comfortable as it goes. We’re going to work even harder this week, and we’ll be all right next week.” Coming off his varsity head coaching debut, after serving on Sandburg’s sophomore staff this past fall, Peters also is looking forward. “We’ll challenge the kids to bounce back,” Peters said. “You’re going to go through ups and downs and adversity, and it’s how you respond that’s the character we’re looking for. We have another tough game next week. There’s no time to dwell on it.” Attention Realtors Looking to Advertise? Reach More Than 96,000 Homes & Businesses Each Week PRESSBOX PICKS Our staff’s predictions for the top games in Week 2 4-1 4-1 3-2 See the Classified Section for more info, or Call 708.326.9170 www.22ndcenturymedia.com Lockport (1-0) hosts South Elgin (0-1) Sandburg (0-1) at Lincoln-Way Central (1-0) Andrew (0-1) at Thornwood (1-0) LW East (1-0) at Belleville West (0-1) Providence Catholic (0-1) at Vianney (1-0) Max Lapthorne | Contributing Editor • Lockport 24, South Elgin 20. Crowd helps Porters to win over young South Elgin squad. • Sandburg • Andrew • LW East • Vianney Tim Carroll | Assistant Editor • South Elgin 48, Lockport 27. Lockport is on the upswing, but the Storm’s offense will rain on the Porters’ parade. • Sandburg • Andrew • LW East • Vianney Joe Coughlin | Publisher • Lockport 17, South Elgin 10. Grind-it-out win for the Porters, who are on the rise. • Sandburg • Andrew • LW East • Providence 2-3 Heather Warthen | Chief Operating Officer • South Elgin 21, Lockport 17. Porters face a feisty Storm squad in Week 2. • Sandburg • Andrew • LW East • Providence 1-4 Tom Czaja | Contributing Editor • Lockport 24, South Elgin 21. The Porters notch another win, continuing to build confidence and momentum. • Sandburg • Thornwood • LW East • Vianney
opprairie.com Sports the orland park prairie | September 1, 2016 | 47 fastbreak Boys Cross Country Eagles unofficially dominate SWSC preseason meet Coach says he wants to see runners as a tighter pack Randy Whalen Freelance Reporter 1st and 3 Give volleyball a try: Attack club to hold tryouts this month 1. Ready to Attack Tryouts for Attack Volleyball Club boys are slated to be held at the Roma Sports Club, 9115 Roma Court in Frankfort, Tuesday, Sept. 6, for boys ages 12 and up. 2. Tryouts schedule by age The schedule for Attack’s tryouts are as follows. Children ages 12-14 years old are to try out from 6-7:30 p.m., while teens ages 15-18 are to try out from 8-9:45 p.m. 3. There is a cost to participate The tryout fee for Attack is $20. For more information, visit www. attackvolleyballclub. net or contact Pam Campbell at (312) 806- 7387. Attack is a local volleyball club with ties to Orland Park. According to Sandburg boys cross country coach John O’Malley, the Eagles are not out to defend their Class 3A state title from last year; they are building for this season. “There is no defense,” O’Malley said. “We feel like we’re building, not defending. If you feel like you’re defending, you’re in the wrong mindset. We’ve got to be in a building mode. No one has won anything yet.” While this is true, the Eagles would have easily won the SouthWest Suburban Conference preseason meet, which was held Aug. 23 at Turtlehead Lake. The meet was not scored officially, but if it were, Sandburg (27 points) — which had four of the top six finishers — would have won. Lincoln-Way East (77) was second, and Lincoln- Way West (96) placed third. Sandburg has captured the conference crown every year except 2009 — when Lockport Township won it — since the league formed in 2005. So, at least in terms of the SWSC Conference, the Eagles looked to be in good John Cunningham runs during the preseason meet. spot to start the season. But in terms of being a state contender, that is still a long way to go. “Martin Skucas is the only guy we have back from last season’s Top 7,” O’Malley said. “This is the least amount of talent we’ve had coming back in some time. So we have to work really hard.” The guys are ready to do that. In the SWSC preseason meet, junior Dylan Jacobs won with a time of 15 minutes and 22.1 seconds. Skucas (15:48.6) was second. “It definitely felt good,” Jacobs said of being the top finisher. “We lost a lot of great runners, but we have a lot of guys stepping up. We don’t have that experience from the state meet, but I think we can run well this year.” So does Skucas, who said he wants to take the experience of being among the top runners this past fall and build upon it. “I ran with all the legends of Sandburg, the guys that broke through and made it happen,” he said. “Last year, we knew what we had to do from experience. This year, we don’t have the returners. So, my job is definitely getting the young guys to know what it’s like to be a part of the team.” Skucas also noted that the team’s gap between its Top 5 runners was not big last year. That’s something the Eagles will have to work on this season if they once again hope to have state success. Rounding out the team’s Top 7 times at the preseason meet were senior Alex Szymanski (4th overall, 16:17.4), junior Robbie Sieczkowski (6th, 16:21.7), Sandburg’s Dylan Jacobs led all racers Aug. 23 during the SouthWest Suburban Conference preseason meet at Turtlehead Lake. Photos by Julie McMann/22nd Century Media The Sandburg cross country team runs together at Turtlehead Lake. sophomore Nico Calderon (14th, 16:53.1), senior David Alvarez (18th, 17:03.4) and junior Ben Cachares (24th, 17:14.1). “The gap we had between the first runner and the fifth was too big,” O’Malley said of the preseason results. “It was over a minute-and-ahalf, and you’d get carved up at state with that. We will be tested [at 10:30 am. Saturday, Sept. 3] at the Lyons Invite. Lyons is one of the top teams in the nation.” LISTEN UP What 2 Watch INDEX “He’s a good kid, and he works hard. He’s going to be a good quarterback.” Scott Peters — Sandburg football coach, on Collin Friedsam Football — 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2 • The Eagles get a chance at redemption in Game 2 on the road against Lincoln-Way Central. 41 — Athlete of the Week 41 — This Week In Compiled by Editor Bill Jones, bill@opprairie.com.
Page 1 and 2: orland park’s Award-Winning Homet
Page 3 and 4: opprairie.com news the orland park
Page 5 and 6: opprairie.com News the orland park
Page 7 and 8: opprairie.com Orland Park the orlan
Page 13 and 14: CHICAGO’S BANKS ® cheer for oppr
Page 15 and 16: opprairie.com Community the orland
Page 17 and 18: opprairie.com Sound Off the orland
Page 19 and 20: That’s the spirit! Harvest Room
Page 21 and 22: opprairie.com Life & Arts the orlan
Page 23 and 24: opprairie.com Life & Arts the orlan
Page 25 and 26: opprairie.com Dining Out the orland
Page 27 and 28: opprairie.com Real Estate the orlan
Page 29 and 30: opprairie.com Classifieds the orlan
Page 41 and 42: opprairie.com Sports the orland par
Page 43 and 44: opprairie.com Orland Park the orlan
Page 45: opprairie.com Sports the orland par

OP_090116

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?