Evergreen Park sophomore running back Cory Isaac carries the ball during the Mustangs’ 49-31 win over Oak Lawn on Sept. 13. Photo by Vince Olejniczak

Evergreen Park sophomore running back Cory Isaac carries the ball during the Mustangs’ 49-31 win over Oak Lawn on Sept. 13. Photo by Vince Olejniczak

Football | Evergreen Park gallops past Oak Lawn in conference opener

Within the first five-plus minutes of the Week 3 battle between Oak Lawn and Evergreen Park, 27 points had been scored.

The host Mustangs sustained their offensive momentum throughout the contest en route to a 49-31 victory over the Spartans in the South Suburban Red opener for both teams.

Leading the way for the Mustangs (2-1 overall, 1-0 SSC Red) was senior running back David Johnson, who ran 13 times for 270 yards and three touchdowns (8, 27, 55 yards).

“Our offensive line really performed well,” said Evergreen Park coach Ramazinski. “They’re getting it together and they did a great job.

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Oak Lawn junior Alex Soto cuts upfield against the Evergreen Park defense during a 49-31 Mustang victory on Sept. 13. Photo by Vince Olejniczak

Johnson had a great day hitting holes hard and finding space to run, Ramazinski said.

“He broke tackles and he was finishing runs,” he said. “He’s tough.”

Johnson is also a wrestler.

“He has a pretty high motor,” Ramazinski added. “He’s not easy to take down despite not being a big guy. He ran over quite a few guys yesterday.”

Evergreen Park senior quarterback Rowan Smyth, who will play baseball at Lewis University in 2026, was 8-of-15 passing for 60 yards and two touchdowns.

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Oak Lawn quarterback Tadhg Walsh calls out the cadence during the Spartans’ loss to Evergreen Park. Photo by Vince Olejniczak

Catching those scoring passes were Caleb Keyser (2 catches, 22 yards) and Tyler Phelps. Arshawn Powell had a rushing touchdown and returned a kickoff 88 yards for a score.

For Oak Lawn, quarterback Tadhg Walsh threw TD passes of 31 and 39 yards to John Olejniczak and ran 36 yards for another score. Ryan Young-Klinger had a 1-yard TD run.

“Walsh has been throwing the ball well for us all year,” Oak Lawn coach Ryan Pattison said. “And he’s really fast, as well. It’s really nice to have a quarterback who can run and throw.

“We have a lot of weapons on offense and we have a lot of people for other teams to worry about. We can hurt you in a lot of ways.”

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