NT_101818

46 | October 18, 2018 | The Northbrook tower sports
northbrooktower.com
'They deserve this': Spartans earn trip to playoffs
Martin Carlino, Editor
With his Glenbrook
North Spartans mired in a
7-7 tie at half, and a playoff
berth on the line, head
coach Bob Pieper delivered
a simple message to his
team.
“(We told the guys)
you’ve got 24 minutes left
now, you have one team
in front of you to go to the
playoffs or not, what are
you going to do,” Pieper
said of his halftime message
to the team.
It took just one play for
the Spartans to respond to
Pieper’s challenge, as senior
Owen Sybert returned
the second-half kickoff 97
yards for a touchdown to
give them a 13-7 lead.
North never trailed after
Sybert’s return, finishing
NORTH SHORE
off a 21-7 Week 8 victory
over the Deerfield Warriors
on Friday, Oct. 12, in
Northbrook.
Junior defensive leader
Michael Ciss put the finishing
touch on the victory
with his second game-securing
pick-six of the season.
GBN’s victory over its
CSL North rival is the
team’s sixth win of the
season, clinching a playoff
spot for the Spartans.
“I’m really happy
for these boys,” Pieper
said. “They deserve this.
They’ve practiced really
hard. We came out and got
our butts whooped against
Maine West and they focused
in every day since
then and they’re buying
into everything that we’re
A 22ND CENTURY MEDIA PRODUCTION
Glenbrook North versus Deerfield
1 2 3 4 F
Deerfield 0 7 0 0 7
Glenbrook North 0 7 6 8 21
Top Performers
1. Michael Ciss, DL/LB
Five tackles, one fumble recovery, one interception
that was returned for a 37-yard touchdown.
2. Owen Sybert, WR/DB
97-yard kickoff return to start the second half.
3. Alex Borczyk, DL
Eight tackles, three sacks.
talking about and trying to
teach them. They’re coachable
right now and they deserve
everything good that
is happening to them.”
How it happened
After a scoreless first
quarter, the Spartans
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opened the game’s scoring
with a 46-yard touchdown
drive early in the second
quarter.
North capitalized on a
holding penalty against
Deerfield, which turned a
long second-down play into
an automatic first down.
With GBN’s starting
running back Grant Marino
out of action for the thirdstraight
week, Drake Marquez
stepped up to fill the
void.
Marquez delivered a key
20-yard rush, setting up
GBN inside Deerfield’s red
zone. Two plays later, Marquez
finished the drive with
an 8-yard touchdown run.
Deerfield answered
North’s scoring drive with
one of its own. The Warriors
quickly tied the game
at 7 on a six-play, 61-yard
drive.
Glenbrook North senior Michael Ciss sprints to the
end zone after making an interception late in the fourth
quarter to seal a 21-7 Glenbrook North win over the
Deerfield Warriors on Friday, Oct. 12, in Northbrook.
Carlos Alvarez/22nd Century Media
Sybert ignites strong
second-half performance
Senior leader Owen Sybert
has been a vital part of
GBN’s success in each of
its prior two wins. But, his
Week 8 performance was
arguably his best varsity
game as a Spartan.
With the game tied 7-7 at
the start of the third quarter,
Sybert ignited a strong
Glenbrook North secondhalf
performance with a
97-yard kickoff return for a
touchdown.
“It felt amazing, it felt
like I was making up for
some lost time right there,”
Sybert said. “Our guys did
a great job blocking. … As
soon as I saw the clear, I
thought ‘oh my goodness,
this is real’ and I was just
so excited. And being able
to celebrate with my teammates
was just a great feeling.”
Sybert’s game-changing
run gave the Spartans a
13-7 lead over the Deerfield
Warriors — but his
impact on the game’s outcome
was not finished.
With the Warriors threatening
to score on their
second drive of the half,
Sybert dove to recover a
fumble just inches before
the ball went out of bounds.
“We’re a better team with
him on the field, there’s no
doubt about it,” Pieper said.
“He motivates these kids
by his play, and they follow
his leadership.”
Spartans’ defense turns up
pressure in second half
After Sybert’s return to
start the half, GBN’s defense
forced five turnovers
in the second half, halting
several Deerfield drives
that looked promising.
Deerfield went threeand-out
on its first drive
of the half but put together
one of its best of the game
on its second drive.
The Warriors moved the
ball in North’s territory after
a quarterback keeper set
them up at the 33.
On a third-and-three
from North’s 31, Cam
Casey forced a fumble that
was recovered by GBN.
Early in the game’s
fourth quarter, the Warriors
fumbled a GBN punt
attempt, giving North the
ball back in its own territory.
The Spartans were
unable to capitalize on the
turnover after missing a 23-
yard field goal attempt.
The Warriors again
turned the ball over, this
time via a fumble, which
was recovered by Ciss.
Ciss once again secures
crucial conference win with
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