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44 | September 28, 2017 | The orland park prairie Sports opprairie.com Football A healing homecoming: Sandburg finds win column again Jim Easterhouse Freelance Reporter Sandburg battled more than just Thornton on Homecoming. They were also battling humidity during their 21-15 win Friday, Sept. 22, in Orland Park. “It is kind of a playoffs for us,” senior defensive back and wide receiver Anthony Hansler said. “Going in, only having one win, we need five to get to the playoffs. With five games left, we need to win at least four of them, so today is a huge win for the team. It’s all coming together on our homecoming weekend. There’s nothing better than this.” A pair of turnovers catalyzed the offense for the Eagles. Sandburg began with an uptempo pace after receiving the opening kickoff, but the Eagles were not able to get much going that first drive. The resulting punt, though, foreshadowed the course of the game. As the Eagles sailed a punt down the west sidelines, the ball bounced toward a Thornton player in the second tier of returners, grazing his leg Jumping for joy Sandburg girls golf seniors enjoy senior night Sandburg girls golf seniors (left to right) Dana Waner, Maddie Ferguson, Isabelle Kolinski, Madison Carver and Maddie Cosler jump for a photo on their senior night Sept. 14 at Silver Lake Country Club. D.Nevels Images and becoming a fumble. A sprinting Eagle pounced on the loose ball, recovering possession at Sandburg’s 44- yard line. The Eagles leaned on their running game, with Andrew Schab and quarterback Christian Shepherd utilizing quick snaps and keeper plays along the way. Thornton helped, committing infractions that aided Sandburg’s steady progress downfield to a first-and-goal scenario. The Eagles jeopardized their opportunity, though, with 6 minutes and 54 seconds left in the first quarter. A botched snap resulted in a goal-line fumble. Although the Eagles retained possession, it deflated their momentum, eventually resulting in a deflection by a Thornton defender on fourth-and-goal in the end zone. The fast offensive pace remained par for the course, as the Wildcats began their first possession late in the first quarter with running backs situated on each side of sophomore quarterback Derrick Williams, and one planted behind him. The Eagles often hovered a couple of linebackers around the line in order to combat the running arrangements the Wildcats utilized. Although the Eagles came with steady pressure, the Wildcats moved to the Eagles’ 18-yard line for a field goal opportunity. The kick unsuccessfully lined to the right of the post. That would not be the last misfortune for Thornton’s special teams unit. With 7:18 remaining in the half, a slow long snap wafted to the punter, allowing a swarm of Sandburg defenders to penetrate and block the punt. “During the week, we worked on that punt block,” Sandburg coach Scott Peters said. “I told the kids, ‘We’re going to get one.’ You’ve got to believe that, and sure enough we did. I think that obviously swung the momentum a bit. The kids believed that this might actually happen. Sometimes, you’ve got to pick yourself up on the other side of the ball and make a play.” The turnover positioned the Eagles on the opposing 35-yard line. On the first play, Shepherd cleanly connected with senior receiver Nicky Shelton on a post route downfield for a picturesque 34-yard touchdown. The Wildcats struck in the first half, too. Thornton’s last drive of the half began on its own 43-yard line with 1:41 remaining in the second quarter. Sophomore running back Harrison Bey-Buie swerved through the middle of the field for a 9-yard gain. Williams converted a lengthy first down to Sandburg’s 31-yard line after a keeper play. That set up the Wildcats for a touchdown on a lob to receiver Jeffrey Hayes. That touchdown tied it at 7-7 at halftime, and there the score would remain until another special teams opportunity provided the first lead for the Wildcats. After a sack by junior linebacker Alex Hirschfield, the Eagles nearly blocked another punt. The ball rolled to the Sandburg 7-yard line, pinning the Eagles and creating a chance for the Wildcats. The Thornton defense sacked Shepherd on the 4-yard line. On the following play, Thornton linebacker Khalid Muhammad sacked Shepherd in the end zone for a safety. On the subsequent kickoff to the Wildcats, returner Javonte White swerved through the Eagles for a touchdown. Although the Eagles blocked the following PAT, the Wildcats possessed a 15-7 lead and a surge of momentum with 1:18 remaining in the third quarter. The Eagles did not allow the Wildcats to surge through the fourth quarter, though. A flock of Eagles led by senior defensive back Jaimie Marines blocked another Thornton punt. Senior defensive end Moe Jumah recovered the block at Thornton’s 8-yard line with 11:07 remaining. After attempting to reach the end zone twice, Shepherd kept the snap to himself on thirdand-goal, darting through a hole on the left side for a TD. The two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete. After the ensuing kickoff, the Sandburg defense forced a punt to give the Eagles offense a chance. On a tense fourth-and-3 on the Thornton 43-yard line, Shepherd launched a pass to Shelton for a touchdown along the east sidelines. The stunning play was paired with another keeper by Shepherd, who ricocheted off several Wildcats as he converted a two-point conversion. “[Shelton] ran a good route. He had pass coverage on him ... [but Shepherd] easily laid the ball into his arms,” Peters said. Up 21-15, Sandburg’s defense came through again. Hansler had a diving interception to regain possession, and the defense thwarted an eventual goal-line sequence for the Wildcats with less than a minute to play. “I talked to the kids before the game about homecoming game being a special experience,” said Peters. “... I just talked about coming out and having fun and putting on a show.” PRESSBOX PICKS Our staff’s predictions for the top games in Week 6 17-8 17-8 16-9 16-9 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) 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 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 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 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 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
opprairie.com Sports the orland park prairie | September 28, 2017 | 45 Boys soccer Sandburg scores late, holds lead against Andrew attack Tim Carroll, Sports Editor Andrew scored early, but Sandburg scored late, and it was the late goals that proved to be the difference in an Orland Park-Tinley Park matchup. For at least the first 20 minutes of play Thursday, Sept. 21, at Andrew, the Thunderbolts played better than the Eagles. The T-Bolts had steady possession of the ball and got their chances on goal during that time. But that possession would shift. “I thought we started out the first 20 minutes slow,” Sandburg forward Colin Kroll said. “But then, when we realized that we were actually down and had to get back into this game, we all picked it up.” The first tally was a strong one in the sixth minute of action by Andrew junior forward Dan Repa. He received a deep, over-the-top pass while holding off a defender, took one touch to get past his defender and draw Sandburg junior goalkeeper Connor Baker to him and away from the net, then deftly sent a soft roller past Baker that eventually reached the back of the net. “[Repa] is just such a big kid, and he’s got incredible touch for his size, and speed, that he has the ability to hold off people and still settle the ball,” Andrew coach Loren Zolk said. The Thunderbolts kept the Eagles’ offensive chances to a minimum through much of the first half. “We knew they like to kind of pop balls over the top,” Zolk said. “So, in the back, we just made an adjustment by dropping. When they win the ball and we see that they’re looking up to play it over, then we drop. But then, they made adjustments to that, and they were able to get opportunities. So, a lot of times, these games are chess matches.” A little more than halfway through the first half, Sandburg began to see the whole board. The Eagles started to take control and were on the attack more often. “We’ve been talking a lot about consistency lately,” Sandburg coach Desi Vuillaume said. “We haven’t been stringing 80 minutes of strong soccer together. We’re either on or we’re off. And you could tell we were definitely off the first 25-30 minutes. “[After that], they went out there, and they started pressuring more. They took advantages where they showed themselves.” Finally, in the 36th minute, the Eagles got their first golden opportunity of the night. Kroll intercepted a loose pass intended for Andrew goalkeeper Andres Aguilar, who came out of the net aggressively to keep the ball away from Kroll. But the Sandburg forward got there first and kicked the ball around Aguilar and into the net to knot things at 1-1. “I was just pressuring the defense and hoping that they’d make a mistake,” Kroll said. “They passed back to the keeper, and it wasn’t strong enough, and I just got there before the goalie.” Sandburg sustained an aggressive attack to open the second half, too, and it paid off. In the 63rd minute of play, Sandburg senior midfielder Jimmy Margas outraced the Andrew defenders to get to the ball in the corner. He waited for teammates to arrive in the box, then placed a perfect pass right in front of junior defender Charlie Gainer, who buried from about 10 yards out. “The ball got to Jimmy Keeper Connor Baker prepares to boot the ball away after making a save. Margas, and I know he’s going to do something great when he has the ball, so I’m always looking for him,” Gainer said. “I pressured into the center of the box, and he played me a wonderful ball, and from there, I can’t really remember what happened. I just put it in the back of the net.” After Sandburg got its 2-1 lead, the Andrew offense picked up the pace and got back on the attack. After the game, Zolk said it was a formation change that helped increase the chances, as they went to a two-forward set. Zolk said that when his team trails, he sometimes gives his players a subtle sign to change the formation. The formation change resulted in more chances, but none got through Baker to tie the game. Although Repa has been a bright spot as the team’s primary goal scorer, Zolk said he is considering going to the two-forward set more often Sandburg forward Michael Salman (right) shields the ball from Andrew defender Tom McPeek following a throw-in Thursday, Sept. 21, in Tinley Park. Photos by Tim Carroll/22nd Century Media Junior forward Adam Azhari works the ball toward the goal on the offensive side of the field. to diversify scoring chances. “While the system we were playing with one forward allows us to control the middle and kind of clogs up the middle, it doesn’t allow us enough going forward, because it’s just Dan then,” Zolk said. If he does make that formation change more often, Zolk said that the second forward could be filled by a rotation of players. Sandburg was strong in turning away Andrew’s late chances, and that was not the only time this season the Eagles have played well on defense. “Our defending is great every single game,” Gainer said. “We haven’t let up more than a goal in any of our games, and it starts with leadership, with Vasili [Vouris] in the back, and he just continues to lead us every game.” “Kudos really go out to our four defenders,” Vuillaume agreed. “They really locked Andrew down. They had a small hiccup at the beginning, but they really stopped Andrew the rest of the game.” With the win, Sandburg improved to 6-1-3 on the year. “I’m proud of the record,” Vuillaume said. “I think we’ve had a really strong first half of the season.” The loss sent the Thunderbolts to a 5-5 record. But Aguilar said things continue to improve. “Compared to the beginning of the season, I think we’re progressing a lot,” the keeper said. “And I love seeing it throughout the season. “Every game [against a] team like this — tough competition — is great for us. We’re only going to see tougher teams, and it’s basically to get us ready. So, I think after a performance like that, we’ll be ready for them.”
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