In his first season as the starting quarterback at Sandburg, Sean Ruisz has been everything that coach Sheamus Murphy wanted.
Solid. Dependable. Efficient.
In Sandburg’s 24-7 Southwest Valley Blue victory over host Metea Valley on Sept. 19, the junior was 9-of-21 passing for 100 yards and two touchdowns as the Eagles improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the conference.
“Ruisz had a nice game,” Murphy said. “Ruisz did a nice job managing the game. It was kind of a rough-condition game. It was raining and it was kind of tough for us to run our true offense, but he did a great job managing the game.
“His strength is his arm strength and he also has the ability to get some things on the ground for us when he needs to. His growth and his maturity are really what’s coming along, which is awesome to see. He’s off to a great start and I’m excited to see his continued growth.”
Ruisz also had a great deal of help in Sandburg’s offense. Classmate Quinn Durkin pulled in seven passes for 67 yards and scored twice. At 9:27 of the first quarter, Durkin caught a 19-yard strike from Ruisz for a 7-0 Sandburg advantage.
Just 56 seconds later, the Eagles went up 14-0 as senior cornerback Malachi Perkins returned a fumble 14 yards for a touchdown.
Perkins’ scoop-and-score highlighted the effort for Sandburg’s defense which has allowed just 26 points in four games this season without letting an opponent reach double digits.
“Our defense played great,” Murphy said. “The defense is doing what they’ve been doing. They’re lining up and they’re flying around and they’re playing some inspired football.
“(Senior linebacker) Dillon Czerwinski is our defensive captain and he’s our heartbeat. And Malachi had the scoop-and-score for the touchdown. He’s doing a really nice job for us.”
Kicker Drew Drzonek drilled a 37-yard field goal with 4:52 remaining in the second quarter to make it 17-0 Sandburg.
Leading 17-7 late in the game, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Ruisz and the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Durkin closed the scoring as they collaborated on a 27-yard TD pass to make it 24-7.
“Durkin is just one of our best all-around football players,” Murphy said. “Our whole thing was to get him touches in a lot of different ways. We’ve moved him all around the football field. … He plays running back, wing and wide receiver. We can throw him all over the place.”
Luke Basiorka contributed 48 yards on 12 rushes for Sandburg while Todd Shelton chipped in an interception.
Andrew 42, Waubonsie Valley 40: Cam Maniatis scored touchdowns on runs of 1, 87 and 80 yards for host Andrew (2-2, 1-1 Southwest Valley Red). Brayden Guzak had a pick-six, while Anthony Lipski (73-yard run) and Jalon Lawrence also scored for the Thunderbolts.
Carmel 21, St. Laurence 14: Jimmy McDermott threw a 5-yard TD pass to Danny Hyland and Noah Taylor scored on a 34-yard run for host St. Laurence (3-1, 0-1 CCL/ESCC White). Cory Les rushed 22 times for 217 yards for the Vikings, who also had four tackles, two passes defended, one interception, one blocked field goal and one blocked extra point from Mickey Lotus.
Hinsdale Central 29, Lyons 26: Despite the efforts of EJ Kuhlman, who scored on runs of 13 and 5 yards, host Lyons (3-1, 0-1 West Suburban Silver) fell. Jack Slightom threw a 6-yard TD pass to Brady Rusk for the Lions’ other touchdown. Ryland Avants (kicked a 24-yard field goal.
Joliet Catholic 23, Marist 17: Joliet Catholic (1-3, 1-0 CCL/ESCC Orange) scored on a touchdown pass as time expired to edge host Marist (0-4, 0-1). Tommy Hosty (23 carries, 65 yards) ran for a 10-yard touchdown and threw a 33-yard TD to Marty Donahue for the RedHawks. Hosty was 9-of-17 passing for 133 yards. Colin Czochara booted a 32-yard field goal for the RedHawks.
Mount Carmel 41, St, Ignatius 14: Emmett Dowling passed for 298 yards and two touchdowns for visiting Mount Carmel (4-0, 1-0) in the CCL/ESCC Blue. Dowling also scored on runs of 3 and 10 yards. Tavares Harrington returned a fumble 99 yards for a touchdown for the Caravan. Quentin Burrell scored on a 84-yard kickoff return while also scoring on passes of 82 and 41 yards from Dowling. Danny Killeen added a fumble recovery for Mount Carmel.
Nazareth 24, IC Catholic 21: Billy Harding drilled a 39-yard field goal with seven seconds to play as Nazareth (3-1, 1-0 CCL/ESCC Green) won in Elmhurst. Jackson Failla (14-of-24 passing, 211 yards) threw TD passes to Jackson Flickinger and Jake Cestone while Trenton Walker chipped in six catches for 140 yards. Justin Watson (12 carries, 63 yards) added a 7-yard TD run for the Roadrunners.
Oak Lawn 34, Bremen 21: Oak Lawn (4-0, 1-0 South Suburban Red) wo at home as Jayden Schlosser and Alex Soto had two rushing touchdowns apiece. Kamari Polk also ran for a score. Byron Starks anchored the Spartans’ defense with two tackles for loss and a sack.
Riverside-Brookfield 51, Elgin 0: Jacob Retana carried seven times for 82 yards and two TDs as host R-B (4-0) prevailed in an Upstate 8 crossover. Quarterback Giancarlo Garcia rushed five times for 63 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 64 yards and a score. Braeden Novak (6-of-7 passing, 113 yards) added two TD tosses for the Bulldogs, while Tim Giacomelli (receiving TD), Nico Caputo (four catches, 56 yards, TD) and Xavier Mrozik-DeJesus (two catches, 29 yards, TD) also scored. Defensively, Warren Mason had an interception and fumble recovery for R-B.
St. Francis 17, St. Rita 10: Brandon Johnson Jr. scored on a 3-yard run in the third quarter for host St. Rita (1-3, 0-1 CCL/ESCC Green). Saul Ruiz kicked a 21-yard field goal and Jack Schapendonk had 10 tackles — including three for loss.