How’s this for openers?
Lyons, fresh off its best season in 54 years and with only eight starters back, walks into Joliet Memorial Stadium and holds Joliet Catholic to 21 yards on 19 carries, the defensive centerpiece of a 24-14 season-opening victory over the Hilltoppers on Aug. 29.
“It’s only one week,” one of the Lions assistants said in the postgame huddle.
Yes, but what a one.
Lions coach Jon Beutjer was more than pleased with the execution and the outcome.
“This is a program that has won 15 state championships, and you guys came here and took it to ’em,” he told his players. “This is a very hard team to prepare for.”
Any questions about the Lions offense were answered across four quarters. Quarterback Jack Slightom, in his first start, went 14-of-15 for 181 yards and two touchdowns. The guys he handed off to, EJ Kuhlman and Frank Suero and Co., piled up 109 yards themselves.
“He’s been a leader all summer,” Kuhlman said of Slightom.
Kuhlman, a 5-foot-9 junior built like an ice chest, wasn’t too shabby himself. He circled out of the backfield and caught a 7-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter. Later, he fought his way to a critical 16-yard run to keep alive the Lions’ last scoring drive, which culminated in Dylan Wulf’s 20-yard field goal with 3:09 remaining.
Wulf’s kick came on the 20th play of the drive. Few NFL or college teams can muster a march of that length. And twice in the possession, the Lions converted on fourth down to continue the trip, Slightom running for 4 yards on one play and throwing to Patrick Cheaney for 9 on the other.
The drive also took 11 minutes 56 seconds, keeping Joliet Catholic’s attack on the sideline at a critical time.
“We’ve got to find a way to get off the field,” Hilltoppers coach Jake Jaworski said. “And we still had a chance (on the next series) on a third down.”
Jaworski saw the Lions do to his team what his team usually does to its opponents. The Hilltoppers were throttled offensively, save for one series to open the third quarter, when they moved 73 yards in six plays to cut the margin to 21-14 on Anthony Finnigan’s 1-yard plunge.
Craig Peacock had scored on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Lucas Simulick earlier, but that was the extent of the attack.
This was all Lyons, which appears to have reloaded. Slightom had understudied for Dom Pisciotti, and appears to have picked up all his good habits.
“He gave us the mentality to come out here and just battle,” Kuhlman said of Slightom.