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46 | September 28, 2017 | The New Lenox Patriot Sports newlenoxpatriot.com Griffins put it together in second half comeback Jon DePaolis Freelance Reporter Trailing 14-0 at the half and in enemy territory Friday, Sept. 22, Lincoln-Way East sophomore A.J. Henning knew his team needed a big moment to start the second half against sister school Lincoln-Way Central. “I knew on the first play, I was getting it, and I had to make a statement,” Henning said. “That was the play.” After the kickoff, the Griffins began the second half at their own 37-yard line. On the first play, Henning got the ball on an end-around and burned past the Central defense for a 63-yard score. “We came out flat in the first half a little, and coach definitely lit a spark under us at halftime,” Henning said. “He said we had to come out and be ready to play. That is exactly what we did.” The play sparked the No. 1-ranked Griffins (5-0) in all three phases, and they mounted a comeback, scoring 28 unanswered points to defeat Central (4-1) 28-14 in New Lenox. On East’s second possession of the second half, starting at its own 6, Ryan Scianna (13 rushes, 42 total yards) began with runs of 4, 5 and 2 yards. Then, on a firstand-10 from the 17, the Griffins used Henning as a decoy on another end-around, and senior quarterback Brendan Morrissey shot up the gut through an open seam and raced away for an 83-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14 with 5:19 to play in the third quarter. What was racing through his mind as he kept a foot in front of two chasing defenders? “Just don’t get caught,” Morrissey said. “That was it.” On the second play of the fourth quarter, things continued to snowball for the Knights, as senior quarterback Sam Pipiras was intercepted at the Central 15-yard line by East’s Max Cesario. Morrissey followed with a 7-yard run, and then Henning (6 rushes, 97 total yards) capped it off with an 8-yard touchdown run to the front left corner of the end zone — leaping while taking contact to get in for the score to make it 21-14 East. Then, after a three-and-out by the Knights, East put the nail in the coffin. On a thirdand-9 from the East 49, Morrissey threw a pass that went through the outstretched Lincoln-Way Central linebacker Liam Markham (left) wraps up Lincoln-Way East running back Ryan Scianna Friday, Sept. 22, during an intradistrict matchup between the two teams in New Lenox. Julie McMann/22nd Century Media arms of the Central defensive back to Henning, who streaked past and caught the ball with his fingertips while in motion. Henning bolted to the end zone for a 51-yard score to make it 28-14 with 7:05 left. “We definitely work a lot on those drills during practice — distraction drills and defenders putting their hands up, but still keeping focused on the ball,” Henning said. “I just owe it all to the drills we do in practice and coaching.” Morrissey finished the game 4-of-7 passing for 86 yards. He also rushed the ball 13 times for a total of 137 yards. “I think, offensively, we executed in the second half, as opposed to the first half,” Morrissey said. “We weren’t finishing plays, and we couldn’t keep drives going. “But it’s really a testament to our team and our bond. We knew it was only 14 points, and we were never out of it. We were saying we were one play away from making it a game. Obviously, on that first play [of the second half], we made it a game.” After the game, East coach Rob Zvonar credited Morrissey and Henning — as well as the defense — for the comeback. Asked about what the ceiling could be for Henning, he had high praise. “I don’t know, but I think it’s called the NFL on Sundays, maybe if that’s a ceiling,” Zvonar said of the special sophomore talent. “But right now, he’s just going to worry about being the best player he can be for us.” Zvonar said Henning is a great student off the field, as well. “He’s a high honors student and has great character,” Zvonar said. “It’s fun to have a kid like that on your side.” But before the heroics of Henning, the game appeared to be trending toward an upset, as the No. 7-ranked team in Class 7A, Lincoln-Way Central, was capitalizing on every East mistake in the first half — including the Knights recovering a fumbled snap by the Griffins on East’s first offensive possession of the game. But it wasn’t until East’s next possession that the Knights got on the scoreboard. On a fourth-and-inches from their own 41-yard line, the Griffins went for it. But Scianna was stopped 2 yards shy of the line of scrimmage, turning the ball over on downs. Central followed with a 4-yard run by senior Mike Morgan. Then, on the very next play, Morgan got the ball again and burst through the East defensive line for a 35-yard score. History repeated itself early in the second quarter. On a fourth-and-7 from the Central 42, the Griffins faked a punt attempt with Henning in the backfield. But Central’s defense was not confused, stopping the sophomore for a 3-yard loss. After a 3-yard run by Morgan to start the ensuing Knights drive, Pipiras (8- of-18, 78 yards) connected with senior Matt Pollack (4 receptions, 41 yards) for a 36-yard gain. Morgan followed with runs of 4, 7 and 5 yards — the last of which was for a touchdown to make it 14-0 with 7:15 left in the half. Morgan finished with 11 rushes for 68 total yards. Zvonar called Central’s first half against East “special.” “We weren’t playing terribly; they were just playing really well,” he said. “Any little breakdown we had, they exposed it. We were Please see Football, 45 high school highlights The rest of the week in high school sports Girls Tennis Lincoln-Way Central 5, Lincoln-Way West 2 Emma Rimkunas, Kiana Sikich and Ani Smentek – the Knights’ Top 3 singles players, respectively, all won their matches and the four doubles teams split to lead a win Sept. 19 over crosstown rival Lincoln-Way West. The Knights’ doubles winners were Danielle Miko/Micaela Cesta and Karleen Meding/ Lily Malas. For the Warriors, the No. 1 doubles team of Meghan Maynard/Natalie Singh won, as well as No. 4 doubles pairing Ann Coddington/Kate King. Boys Golf Lincoln-Way Central 157, Stagg 181 Sean Curran and EJ Charles, the Knights’ No. 1 and No. 2 golfers, respectively, tied for medalist honors with a 3-over 38 during a Sept. 19 meet against Stagg at Midlothian Country Club. Ryan Nolan was right behind with a 39, and Dylan Gordan was the fourth posted score with a 40. Boys Cross Country Lincoln-Way Central places 11th at Minooka Flight Invitational Andrew Englert and Jared Kreis both earned medalist honors during the Sept. 16 competition. Girls Cross Country Lincoln-Way Central places eighth at Richard Spring Invite Mackenzie Brownrigg finished with the best time on the team with 18:01 to finish seventh overall Sept. 16 during the race in Peoria. Merrigan Allen took 32nd (18:38), Gretchen Zirgaitis placed 72nd (19:12), Abby Gamble placed 102nd (19:27) and Dana Boucher placed 166th overall (20:02) during the race at Detweiller Park to help boost the Knights to finish eighth as a team against a field of 64 other schools and 433 competitors. Lincoln-Way West places 29th out of 64 schools at Richard Spring Invite Jenna Fiore led the way for the Warriors, finishing 79th (19:13) out of 433 racers Sept. 16 at the Richard Spring Invite in Peoria. Isabelle Gryga was second on the team and 122nd overall with a time of 19:39. Marie Moore (20:12) was third on the team and 182nd overall. High School Highlights is compiled by Editor James Sanchez, james@newlenoxpatriot.com.
newlenoxpatriot.com Sports the New Lenox Patriot | September 28, 2017 | 47 fastbreak Julie McMann/22nd Century Media 1st-and-3 Soccer studs 1. Nick Willner (above) The sophomore starter is playing like a seasoned vet. He provided the Knights with their lone goal early on in the first half, and it turned out to be the winning goal, as the defense shut out the Griffins 1-0 on Sept. 19. 2. Connor Erickson The Knights defender registered the assist on Willner’s goal. And on the back end, Fahey credited Erickson and the other defenders for their shutout effort against the Griffins. 3. Fountain of youth Despite a young roster with four starting sophomores, Lincoln-Way Central is 7-2 on the season (as of Sept. 20). The team is looking for its first SWSC title since 2007. Football Provi scores late touchdown to best Brother Rice Sophomore wide receiver catches deciding toss Chris Walker Freelance Reporter Neither team could afford to lose. Caden Kalinowski made sure that Providence didn’t. With the game against Brother Rice going down to the wire and less than two minutes remaining in regulation, the Celtics quarterback kept his poise with the score tied at 16-16, moved to his left — envisioning opportunities downfield — and located 5-foot-9 sophomore wide receiver Jerrell Wright for a touchdown and a 22-16 win. “This was a great victory,” Providence coach Mark Coglianese said. “We weren’t perfect, and we still have things to work out, but we picked up a huge CCL Blue road win against a very good PRESSBOX PICKS Our staff’s predictions for the top games in Week 6 Lincoln-Way East (5-0) at Homewood-Flossmoor (5-0) Tinley Park (2-3) at T.F. South (3-2) Providence Catholic (3-2) at Chicago Hope Academy (4-1) Sandburg (2-3) at Lincoln-Way West (3-2) Lockport (1-4) at Bolingbrook (4-1) Brother Rice team.” There’s just something about the Chicago Catholic League Blue that one doesn’t likely see in the other conferences in the state. And especially in the past few years, Providence has found itself in the middle of nail-bitertype games that are difference makers in whether or not they reach a Week 10. Now, they’re winning some huge games, and Wright was yet another one who was a part of it. “I ran by the safety and was all alone,” Wright said. “I watched the perfect pass from Caden right into my arms. I did not want to drop it. To be a sophomore and catch the game-winning pass in this huge win is just so exciting.” Kalinowski had no fear in putting the game-winning play into the hands of a teammate who isn’t going to graduate until 2020. “That was his first touchdown on varsity, and only his third play in the game,” Kalinowski said. “He may only 18-7 Tom Czaja | Contributing Editor • H-F 31, LW East 28. Vikings won’t be intimidated by Griffins, beating them for a third straight year in front of a boisterous home crowd. • Tinley Park • Providence • LW West • Bolingbrook be a sophomore, but we have trust in everyone out there. He’s gotten his practice in, so the coaches aren’t hesitant to put him in the game just because he’s a sophomore.” Right now, the Celtics are really clicking because everyone is stepping up. “It takes a lot of different people to step up and make an impact for a team,” Kalinowski said. “I think that variety is big difference. We’ve been playing as a team, and that has been working really well for us. We’re fortunate to be able to able to rely on each other and trust people next to us to make great plays.” Last season, Brother Rice ruined Providence’s homecoming, breaking open a game that was tied at 14-14 at halftime and winning 45-21. This time, the Celtics (3-2, 2-0) prevailed, and after getting revenge against St. Rita two weeks ago from last year and a win against St. Ignatius last week, they’re riding a three-game winning streak. 17-8 Max Lapthorne | Contributing Editor • LW East 28, H-F 24. Griffins face a tough road test, but have enough talent to prevail in the battle of unbeatens. • T.F. South • Providence • LW West • Bolingbrook The Celtics struck first with 2:09 left in the first quarter on a 30-yard run from DeShon Gavin and Eduardo Favela’s successful PAT. Favela’s kicking efforts would prove to be huge, and the PAT was just the start of special teams coming up big. After a turnover, Favela booted a 30-yard field goal with 7:50 remaining in the second quarter for a 10-0 lead. Brother Rice bounced back, though, getting a 10- yard touchdown pass from John Bean to Anthony Arquilla midway through the second quarter, but Favella’s 44-yard field goal kept the Celtics ahead 13-7 at the half. The Crusaders tied the game on a 51-yard punt return from Jayshon Means in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Once again, special teams played a huge role for the Celtics, as they blocked the PAT to keep the score tied at 13-13. Then, it briefly came down to being a game of the kickers. 17-8 Tim Carroll | Sports Editor • LW East 27, H-F 20. I just cannot pick against the Griffins. They’re too good, and that defensive line limits the Vikings. • Tinley Park • Providence • LW West • Bolingbrook 16-9 Joe Coughlin | Publisher • LW East 45, H-F 35. Hard to stop Vikings, so Griffins just outscore them. • T.F. South • Providence • LW West • Bolingbrook Favela nailed his third field goal of the night, this one from 24 yards to give Providence a 16-13 lead late in the third quarter, but John Richardson’s 34-yarder, with coincidentally 34 seconds left in the third quarter, tied the game. “Special teams are often taken for granted, but they can make a huge difference in games,” Kalinowski said. “We made this game closer than it needed to be and couldn’t finish out drives, but we were lucky to be able to settle for some field goals. We still need to get better and away from the mistakes that are causing us to pull away in these games. I think on two of three drives where we settled for field goals, we should’ve had touchdowns.” The final fields goals all set the stage for the frantic finish after neither team could do much in the early going of the fourth quarter. The Celtics head to undefeated Chicago Hope Academy this Friday. 16-9 Heather Warthen | Chief Operating Officer • H-F 21, LW East 14. This is going to be a hard-fought battle, but the Vikings win at home. • Tinley Park • Chicago Hope Academy • LW West • Bolingbrook LISTEN UP “We’ve got a bunch of young kids out there making plays.” Sean Fahey – Lincoln-Way Central boys soccer coach, on the team’s season success TUNE IN Boys Golf TBA, Tuesday, Oct. 3 • The Sanctuary Golf Course in New Lenox will host a IHSA regional, which Lincoln-Way West, Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way East and Providence will all be competing in. INDEX 42– This Week In 42– Athlete of the Week FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor James Sanchez, james@newlenoxpatriot.com.
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