Jeffery Bellik was ready.
The Sandburg senior had to be. He was pressed into duty as quarterback midway through the second quarter on Oct. 10 after starter Sean Ruisz went out with an injury.
Bellik accounted for 60% of the Eagles’ offense, but they dropped their second straight game, 28-7 to visiting Lockport.
Sandburg (5-2, 3-2 Southwest Valley Blue) was held to 199 total yards, while the Porters (4-3, 3-2) finished with 309 yards in winning their third straight.
“Yeah, I got a few reps in practice,” Bellik said. “It was unfortunate, but I hopped in there. I very much believed. These are my guys.”
Bellik had to come in after Ruisz left following a hit on an incomplete pass midway through the second quarter.
“He’s been battling that (injury) and was banged up there,” Sandburg coach Sheamus Murphy said of Ruisz. “Jeffery came in for his first game-snap action, and he’s tough as nails. He’s a senior captain and one of our guys we look to get us going.”
Before he went out, Ruisz accounted for the Eagles’ points when he fired a 33-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Malik Abedelal in the right corner with 4:15 left in the first quarter. That tied the game at 7-7.
Lockport took the lead for good when senior quarterback Brendan Mecher scored the second of his four rushing touchdowns after evading a few tackles and diving to the pylon for the score on a fourth-and-2 play. That came with 7:34 to play in the second quarter and made it 14-7.
Ruisz, who was 3-of-9 with a touchdown and an interception, was then injured on the first play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive. Enter Bellik.
“I had played a little quarterback my freshman year, but not since,” Bellik said. “It was my first varsity game experience, but I’m always ready. I just came in to do the best I could, be an athlete, and make plays.”
The Eagles’ defense made some plays, including a sack of Mecher by senior defensive lineman Ugnius Zaukas to end the first half as the clock ran out. Junior Lucas Matykiewicz, who had three catches for 25 yards, also recovered an onside kick to open the third quarter. But Sandburg couldn’t move the ball.
Mecher, who had 21 carries for 93 yards and was 9-of-18 passing for 133 yards, added touchdown runs of 6 and 7 yards in the second half. He had opened the scoring on a 12-yard TD run.
Sandburg reached the Porters 12-yard line in the final minutes of the game, but lost a fumble. Bellik finished 7-of-11 passing for 63 yards and added 17 carries for 57 yards.
“We’ve just got to adjust,” Bellik said. “We’ve got to get rid of mental mistakes and get back to playing well.”
Sandburg hosts Neuqua Valley on Oct. 17 and plays at powerhouse Lincoln-Way East on Oct. 23.
Murphy agreed.
“We’ve got to respond,” Murphy said. “We have a big last two weeks, and we have to go out and get one.”