Senior quarterback Jameson Purcell was looking for redemption. The Indiana recruit struggled last week for Maine South in its season-opening loss at home against state powerhouse Batavia.
Purcell, a left-hander, passed for just 157 yards and threw two interceptions. But he completed seven straight passes on the first drive Friday night, tossing a 32-yard touchdown to Elliott Arteta.
But Purcell was just getting warmed up. He passed for 326 yards and three TDs, while senior running back Matthew Schlenhardt rushed for two TDs to power the Hawks to a 54-14 nonconference win over Warren at Wilson Field in Park Ridge.
Purcell played just three quarters for Maine South (1-1), connecting on his first 11 passes. He completed 18 of 24 passes for coach Dave Inserra, who posted his 250th career victory and beat Warren (0-2) for the fourth time in a row.
“Overall, the offense was just rolling,” Schlenhardt said. “It’s going to be a great year. The running game was solid and we have great receivers. We have a well-spread offense.”
Inserra, who has a 250-56 career record with four state championships and four runner-up finishes in his two-plus decade tenure, credited his team for bouncing back against a quality opponent.
Inserra received a Gatorade bath from his players with a few seconds left in the running clock win.
“It was a great win for the whole program,” said an emotional Inserra, pausing for several seconds to gather his words. “My mentor was here and I was fortunate to take over for him and just tried to build the program.”
Maine South scored 20 points in each of the first two quarters for a 40-14 lead. Defense played a big part in the victory for the Hawks by intercepting three passes.
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Senior quarterback Xavier Vinson suffered suffered a chin injury for Warren in the second quarter of its Week 1 loss to Loyola and watched the rest of the game from the sidelines.
The strong-armed Vinson matched Purcell by completing 6 of 6 passes on the opening drive, culminating in a TD pass. It would be one the highlights of the Blue Devils’ night.
A week after losing 49-35 to Batavia, Maine South came out strong in all three phases of the game. Senior linebacker Evan Adamczewski returned an interception 37 yards for a TD in the second quarter.
“I saw the quarterback drop back and look my way and saw the ball come right at me and got a few good blocks and ran hard,” Adamczewski said. “The defense played a tough team in our first game, so we knew Warren was also a tough team and we prepared all week for this game.”
After Vinson hooked up with senior receiver Michael Bunch for a 28-yard TD strike early in the first quarter, the Blue Devils allowed 26 consecutive points to fall behind 33-7.
Vinson hit Bunch for a 34-yard TD strike late in the second quarter to end Maine South’s scoring spree. The Blue Devils were coming off a 31-0 loss at home to Loyola.
Junior running back Jonathan Randolph rushed for 81 yards for the Blue Devils. Bunch caught seven passes for 90 yards and a pair of TDs.
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.