Lyons’ special teams lived up to its name in a Week 3 victory over longtime rival Hinsdale Central in the West Suburban Silver-opener for both teams.
On a 40-yard field goal attempt by the Red Devils in the second quarter, Lions senior Ryan Gertsmeier blocked the kick and senior Mack Long scooped up the football and sprinted 70 yards for a touchdown.
“That was a big, crucial block,” Lyons coach Jon Beutjer said. “That sparked us there. It ignited us and gave us momentum.”
The Lions (3-0, 1-0 West Suburban Silver) rode the momentum to a 21-16 victory on Sept. 13 in Hinsdale.
Lyons running back Danny Carroll ran 20 times for 123 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Dom Pisciotti went 9-of-13 passing for 99 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown pass to Tucker King.
“Hinsdale Central had good schemes for us and we didn’t win our first and second downs,” Beutjer said. “They had a good scheme to stop our run. But we made good adjustments at halftime and we were able to score twice.
“It took some time to get us going and we eventually did.”
The Lions are not content with their unblemished record after three games.
“It’s a great rivalry game and it could have gone either way at the end,” Beutjer said. “For us to go there and win is great, but there are a lot of things we need to improve on offensively and defensively.
“I’m proud of the way our kids fought. They battled through adversity and that’s what we’ll take from this game.”