Every Thursday at practice, Sandburg’s football team works on its two-minute drill so that the Eagles know exactly what to do as the clock is winding down.
On Sept. 12 in Naperville, practice made perfect for Sandburg in its Southwest Valley Blue matchup with Naperville Central.
With no timeouts as the end of the fourth quarter drew closer, Sandburg traveled 40 yards to the RedHawks’ 22-yard-line. With just nine seconds remaining, kicker Drew Drzonek calmly drilled a 39-yard field goal, providing the Eagles with a dramatic 5-3 victory.
“I’ve been around football for almost 30 years as a player and a coach and I have never been a part of a 5-3 game,” Sandburg coach Seamus Murphy said. “They’re calling it Scorigami and I didn’t know what that was.
“I’ve never even heard of it. We as coaches got together after the game and (assistant coach) Mike Schofield, who played in the NFL, was like, ‘Yeah, that’s Scorigami.’ I was like, ‘What’s Scorigami?’ I learned a new vocabulary word (Friday) night. This was definitely a Sandburg Scorigami. We’ve never had a 5-3 (final score). But a win is a win.”
Drzonek, who is drawing interest from Illinois among others, was quick to credit long snapper Toddy Shelton and holder Jeffery Bellik for their contributions to the game-winning field goal.
“On the kick, the moment was big and it was just trusting in my holder, my snapper and my blockers,” Drzonek said. “Once I kicked it, it felt good off the foot and it was such a slow kick. I was watching it go through and hugging that right upright.
“Once it went through, it was just such a relief having the pressure off and being able to celebrate with my team because I know that I did my job for the team.”
So did Sandburg’s defense. In their three victories this season over Andrew, Richards and Naperville Central, the Eagles have allowed a mere 19 points for an average of 6.3 points per game.
“In Week 1 and Week 2, I was very impressed with all three of our phases,” Murphy said. “(Friday) night, it was two phases that won us the game and that was special teams and our defense.
“It was ugly and it wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. This was a huge win on the road against a storied program like Naperville Central. This was big and we’ve got to build off this one.”
Two of the defensive players who stood out for the Eagles against Naperville Central were senior defensive tackle Jaden Weaver, whose fumble recovery sealed the victory, and sophomore defensive back Vinny Annel, who had his first varsity interception.
“We simplified some schemes over the summer and fall,” Murphy said. “The kids are lining up and they’re playing fast. They’re playing physical and we’re tackling better and our fundamentals are really sound.
“I give a ton of credit to our defensive coordinator Bryan Murray. He’s getting them to play inspired football and yeah, we’re lining up and flying around now.”
Eisenhower 42, Argo 0: Qassim Al Jabri ran 24 times for 135 yards for host Argo (0-3, 0-1) in South Suburban Red action. Oliver Krzanowski had seven total tackles for the Argonauts, while Gabriel Drelich finished with six tackles, including one for loss.
Evergreen Park 39, Tinley Park 12: Cory Isaac rushed 21 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns for host Evergreen Park (3-0) in the South Suburban crossover. Omarrion Evans (three catches, 66 yards, two TDs; three carries, 43 yards, TD), Jake Bishop (32-yard TD catch), Brady Bruen (6 of 12 passing, 120 yards, two passing TDs) and Tyler Phelps (12-yard TD pass) also chipped in for the Mustangs. Garret Kazmierowicz recovered two fumbles for Evergreen Park.
Lincoln-Way West 17, Andrew 7: Jaylon Lawrence scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter for Andrew (1-2, 0-1) in its Southwest Suburban Red loss in New Lenox.
Lyons 55, Morton 0: Jack Slightom threw a 21-yard TD pass to Anthony Pearson and a 13-yard pass to Owen Matela as visiting Lyons (3-0) prevailed in a West Suburban crossover. Frank Suero (27-yard run, 4-yard run) and Brock Curtin (25-yard run, 28-yard run) both scored twice for the Lions, while EJ Kuhlman (1-yard run) and Jack Janiszewski (12-yard run) had a TD apiece. Morton is 0-3.
Montini 28, Marist 21: Tommy Hosty (8 of 16 passing, 113 yards) threw a 23-yard TD pass to Stephen Brown (11 receptions, 171 yards) for Marist (0-3) in a CCL/ESCC crossover in Lombard. Hosty carried 19 times for 138 yards and a 5-yard TD run while Kevin Bartolotta (24 carries, 74 yards) scored on a 1-yard run for the RedHawks.
Richards 22, Reavis 15: Ahmad Buchanan (25 carries, 197 yards, two TDs) scored on a 6-yard run with 30 seconds to play as Richards (2-1, 1-0) prevailed in a South Suburban Red matchup in Burbank. Kamani Sapara scored on a 15-yard TD pass from Noah Escobedo (13 of 19 passing, 124 yards). Anthony Sanchez booted a 32-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the Bulldogs, tying the game at 15-all.
For Reavis (2-1, 0-1), Parker Zasada (10 carries, 32 yards) scored on runs of 2 and 6 yards. Ahmed Everette scored on a two-point conversion run. Nikko Roberts (three receptions, 86 yards) and Nehemiah Rogers (11 carries, 39 yards) also chipped in for the Rams.
St. Laurence 15, Notre Dame 14: In Burbank, St. Laurence (3-0) prevailed in a CCL/ESCC crossover as Matthew Williams caught the game-winning two-point pass from Jimmy McDermott. Noah Taylor (7 of 13 passing, 85 yards) connected with Williams (five catches, 61 yards) on TD tosses of 17 and 14 yards.