“The rivalry between Peotone and Manteno is clear whenever the schools cross paths. The physicality on both teams turns up a few notches and fire in the eyes of the players, fans, and coaches, compared to other games, is evident,” Blue Devil Coach Ryan Murray commented.
According to Murray on Tuesday, August 29, “The Blue Devils went into the game knowing it would be a close matchup. Manteno has a quality squad, which showed as they were able to put 3 away against us in the first half. It was truly a tale of two halves, however…
“Going into the half, the score was 3-1, with Peotone trailing. We made some adjustments both tactically and mentally and came out an entirely different team. Our Captains – Gino Petrizzi, Ryan Ringer, and Van Wehrmann – hyped up our guys to come out stronger and more hungry for the last half of the game,” the coach continued.
“Our offensive pressure was unwavering, with a stellar performance from Abraham Horta, who was able to net 3 goals in the second half, with 4 overall in the game. Our defense and midfield upped their pressure offensively, while preserving our possession game. It was outstanding to see the performance improve in the players as the game went on. Our defense, as well as our keeper Nick Moore, were able to keep a clean sheet in the second half to lead us to a 4-3 win.
“Many teams face the adversity of a two-goal deficit and give up. Our players did not. Above all else, that is what I was most proud of this game,” Murray noted.