By Kyle Garmes
Correspondent
It might be challenging to find positives after getting blown out on opening night, but Richards has reason to be optimistic despite being handed a 42-0 loss by visiting Morgan Park to kick off the 2023 season.
For one, Richards suffered a convincing defeat at the hands of the Mustangs to start last season, but regrouped and ultimately qualified for the IHSA postseason.
Secondly, the Bulldogs hung with Morgan Park for the first half. Aside from a few big plays, the first 24 minutes were mostly even.
And third, after a somber post-game huddle, several players were already back at work.
“We’re playing a lot of young guys,” said Richards coach Tony Sheehan. “We kind of got smacked in the mouth, and sometimes that’s a good thing. You’ve got to take that as they didn’t quit; they hung in there and they kept fighting.”
Richards (0-1) lost last year’s season opener, 30-2, but finished the regular season with a 6-3 mark and a spot in the Class 6A playoffs.
Morgan Park (1-0) advanced to the Class 5A quarterfinals in 2022, and with Division I talent on the roster is likely better this year.
Their defense will turn heads.
Richards was held to less than 200 yards of offense, and on the two occasions the Bulldogs neared the goal line, the Mustangs turned them away.
One of those drives came in the first half, with Richards trying to stay in the game. The second came in the fourth quarter when the game well out of reach.
Sheehan still believes his team can bounce back Friday against Libertyville. The Wildcats beat Lemont — a 2022 Class 6A semifinalist and which has lost one game each of the past two seasons — 22-13 on opening night.
“We’re going to get to work,” Sheehan said. “This is a good group. They work hard. I have no doubt they’re going to come [to practice] and come to work.”
In perhaps a sign the Bulldogs were ready to move forward just minutes after the game ended, two running backs — junior Myles Mitchell and freshman Ladarrrius Foster — were running sprints on the field.
Senior wide receiver Shaun Reynolds stood a few feet away from them chomping at the bit.
Reynolds had one of Richards’ biggest plays of the night, a 44-yard catch in the first half that put the Bulldogs at Morgan Park’s 1-yard line.
“We just know what we got to work on now,” Reynolds said. “We got to execute. We got to come to practice ready to work. We got to leave it all on the line
“I’m not letting [42-0] happen anymore. We got a lot to learn. I can’t do that anymore.”
Senior quarterback Dijon Newman showed some spark for the Bulldogs, both running and throwing.
Sheehan said a twisted ankle hampered Newman, who he called an “electric” player.
Even had Newman been 100%, it is hard to see how Richards could have kept pace with Morgan Park. The Mustangs led 18-0 at halftime, with a few big plays helping them gain some breathing room.
On the Mustangs’ ensuing possession after a blocked Bulldogs’ punt resulted in a safety in the first quarter, running back Terrance Gurley burst up the middle for a 65-yard touchdown run. Early in the second quarter, quarterback Marcus Thaxton found Stanley Thompson for a 20-yard touchdown.
Thaxton finished with two touchdown passes.
Morgan Park sucked the life out of the stadium with a hard-nosed drive to start the second half. After Gurley piled up big chunks on the ground, Amahri Blocman-Tyler found the end zone on a 33-yard run during which he cut back to the left side of the field and raced in untouched.
So Richards finds itself 0-1 again to start the season. But just like last year, eight more games await.
And Reynolds couldn’t wait to get back to work.
“We’re bouncing back Monday,” he said. “You better believe it. We’ll be ready for Libertyville. I’m going to make sure of that.”