It took high-powered Lockport a little more than a half to get accustomed to the high winds and lousy field conditions of Friday’s SICA Blue showdown against host Lincoln-Way Central.
Once the No. 14 Porters figured things out, however, they were on their way to a 17-3 victory, their first win at Lincoln-Way Central since 1987.
Lockport quarterback Steve Walker (22-for-39, 255 yards) and receiver Vince Giacobbe (six catches, 89 yards) connected on a pair of second-half touchdown passes, and the Porters’ defense did the rest in the victory.
“They were biting on the slant pattern all night, so we decided to run a play up the field,” said Giacobbe, who scored on passes of 32 and 28 yards.
“Our offensive line did a great job, and Steve threw me two great passes.”
Giacobbe was wide open on both passes.
“[The receivers] had a big advantage over the defensive backs,” he said. “We knew where we were going to go, and they had to keep up with us.”
Walker was 11-of-16 in the second half, and the Lockport defense was its usual stellar self. Ryne Kunce led the way with 18 tackles, and John Finnegan recovered a fumble at the Lockport 10 as Lincoln-Way was driving for a tying score early in the fourth quarter.
The only first-half scoring came courtesy of the field-goal kickers. Lockport’s Matt Ludwig booted a 30-yarder with 7:56 to play in the first quarter, and Lincoln-Way Central responded on Brett Bassett’s 40-yarder with 2:28 left in the quarter.
Anthony Hawthorne had 101 yards on 20 carries for Lockport (5-1, 4-0), while Dan Johnson caught seven passes for 98 yards for Lincoln-Way Central (4-2, 2-2).
Jeff Ponczak.
Up next for Lockport: Friday at home vs. Homewood-Flossmoor.
1. Downers Grove South
Erick Newman rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries as the Mustangs (6-0, 4-0) whipped Leyden 40-0 in the West Suburban Gold. Kent Richard scored two touchdowns, including one on a 58-yard punt return. Downers South quarterback Mike Sharp rushed for a touchdown and passed for another. Leyden (0-6, 0-3) mustered only 38 yards and three first downs for the game.
Up next: Friday at Downers Grove North.
2. Wheaton North
Brett Bollweg rushed for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Falcons (6-0, 4-0) beat Glenbard East 28-12 in the DuPage Valley. Glenbard East (2-4, 2-2) pulled within 21-12 on Matt Coppock’s second touchdown of the game–a 15-yard run–but Bollweg ripped off a 41-yard TD run midway through the fourth to seal the victory.
“I give Glenbard East a lot of credit,” Wheaton North coach Matt Foster said. “We didn’t play our best game, but we made plays when we had to. That’s the mark of a championship team.”
Zach Ullrich completed 13-of-21 passes for 149 yards and hit Dareon Spencer for a 23-yard score in the third quarter for Wheaton North.
Up next: Friday at West Chicago.
3. Providence
Nick Stanton passed for 165 yards and three touchdowns as the Celtics (6-0) defeated St. John (Ind.) Lake Central 38-7. Clay Cleveland ran for 145 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Brian Piszczor started Providence on the right foot by returning the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.
Up next: Oct. 12 at Hales Franciscan.
7. Lake Park
Dave Hochstettler and Mike Menotti combined for 222 rushing yards and three touchdowns as the Lancers (6-0, 4-0) shut out Larkin 28-0 in the Upstate Eight. Hochstetter also had seven catches for 77 yards. Dave Wilharm rushed 129 yards on 21 attempts for Larkin (3-3, 1-3).
Up next: Friday at DeKalb.
10. Richards
Sean Lewis completed 11-of-22 passes for 209 yards and four TDs and also scored on a 2-yard run as the Bulldogs (6-0, 4-0) defeated Eisenhower 50-18 in the SICA Orange. Dion Foster rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries for Richards. Dan Szafoni reeled in two of Lewis’ four TD passes.
Brian Booker scored on a 93-yard kickoff return and a 23-yard run for Eisenhower (1-5, 1-3).
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Up next: Friday at home vs. Crete-Monee.
11. Morris
A hawkish defense and powerful wind gusts proved key in Morris’ 47-20 victory at Riverside-Brookfield.
The Redskins scored twice on defensive fumble recoveries in the first half of the Suburban Prairie White contest as the weather limited the effectiveness of either team passing the ball. For the pass-happy Bulldogs, this proved crippling to its game plan.
Morris (6-0, 5-0) went ahead 6-0 in the first quarter on a 55-yard shovel pass from Benjy Kennedy to Orlando Lemus. Three touchdowns in a 2:01 span in the second quarter made it 33-6 in favor of the Redskins at halftime. Two of those touchdowns came from Daumont Valentine, who scored on a 3-yard run and a 10-yard fumble return.
Lemus added two more touchdowns on runs of 12 and 9 yards for Morris.
Britt Davis had three touchdown passes for Riverside-Brookfield (3-3, 2-3). But he was also sacked six times and was the only Bulldogs player with a rushing attempt.
Mike Duffin.
Up next: Friday at home vs. Yorkville.
12. Joliet Catholic
Ross Crampton rushed for 288 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries as the Hilltoppers (4-2, 2-1) rolled past Bishop McNamara 44-14 in the Catholic Metro Red. Crampton, who started the year as a linebacker/defensive back, filled in for Ryan Buchanan, out with a rib injury. Bishop McNamara dropped to 3-3, 2-2.
Up next: Oct. 12 vs. Leo at Gately.
13. Naperville North
Mike Costantino rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard run with 3:10 left, as the Huskies (5-1, 3-1) downed Wheaton Warrenville South 20-0 in the DuPage Valley. See story, Back Page.
Up next: Friday vs. Naperville Central at North Central College.
15. Prospect
Jared Dall completed 14-of-17 passes for 284 yards and tossed two touchdowns to Nick Iovino as the Knights (5-1, 1-1) blew out Elk Grove 35-0 in the Mid-Suburban East. Bryon Gattas ran for 164 yards on 18 carries and scored on a 12-yard run for Prospect.
Up next: Friday at home vs. Hersey.
16. Bolingbrook
The Raiders (6-0, 4-0) defeated Bradley-Bourbonnais 27-7 in the SICA Gray as A.J. Johnson rushed for 229 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries. David Danzell’s 12 tackles and Martell Marby’s two sacks led Bolingbrook’s defense, which held Bradley to 168 yards.
“The `D’ kept us in it tonight,” Johnson said. “We came out sluggish but wore them down in the second half.”
Up next: Oct. 12 at home vs. Stagg.
17. Lincoln-Way East
Dustin Powell was 7-of-13 passing for 138 yards and threw three touchdowns as the Griffins (5-1, 3-1) rolled to a 31-3 victory over Homewood-Flossmoor in the SICA Blue. See story, Back Page.
Up next: Friday at home vs. Joliet.
18. St. Rita
Pat Cominski returned a blocked punt 22 yards for a touchdown and Jonathan Plude added a 15-yard interception for a score as the Mustangs (5-1, 4-0) scored 27 third-quarter points en route to a 43-0 Catholic Metro Blue victory over St. Laurence.
Up next: Friday at home vs. De La Salle.