By John Lemon Daily Herald Sports Writer
Posted on November 03, 2000
That's where a guy like senior Kyle Adams comes into play.
While the No. 1 Redhawks' offense struggled to gain yardage early in the game against Fremd, Adams still put points on the board with his right leg.
Naperville Central (10-0) managed just a lone first down early on, but Adams provided 9 points with a trio of field goals to jump-start the Redhawks toward a 36-6 victory.
Now, the defending Class 6A state champion Redhawks face Saturday's second-round game against No. 17 New Trier (8-2) in Northfield with a similar mentality.
Whatever it takes.
"For some reason, our offense starts slow sometimes," said Adams, who is also the team's starting tight end. "Every part of the game's important. You can't overlook special teams."
In the same theme, don't expect Naperville Central to overlook New Trier - a team riding a ton of emotion.
It started for the Trevians with a victory over previously unbeaten Maine South in the final week of the regular season that wrapped up the Central Suburban South Conference title.
In last week's first-round game, the Trevians topped rival Loyola 23-21 on - what else - a field goal. Senior kicker Ryan Lynch booted the 18-yard game-winner with 29 seconds left in the game.
New Trier has a balanced offense, led by the running tandem of Tommy Geary, a 5-foot-10, 220-pound senior, and Ryan Spellman (5-10, 185). Combined, they've rushed for nearly 1,000 yards.
Junior quarterback Michael Duda (6-2, 190) has thrown for better than 1,000 yards, with his main target being Patrick Neumayer.
The Redhawks' defense posted another fine outing against Fremd, limiting the Vikings to only 9 first downs and 150 yards of offense. Despite injuries to two starting linebackers, the quartet of Drew Kocsis (6-2, 225), Pat Spaeth (6-3, 210), Mike Lucas (6-1, 225) and Matt Benson (6-3, 190) have continued the defensive strangle-hold on opponents.
"New Trier impresses me," said Redhawks coach Joe Bunge, whose team beat New Trier 42-14 in the second round of the 1986 playoffs. "We'll have to play well to beat them."
Offensively, look for Naperville Central's usual suspects. Against Fremd, the Redhawks had another balanced attack.
Junior Kyle Griffith (5-10, 180) rushed for 140 yards on 17 carries, while senior fullback Matt Yellin (6-1, 220) added 57 yards on 10 carries. Junior quarterback Phil Horvath (6-2, 172) completed 11 of 17 passes for 175 yards.
Although it took a while for the Redhawks to get going offensively, they eventually piled up 400 yards against the Vikings.
New Trier's defense has been stingy, however, allowing 7 points in four games while shutting out two other opponents.
"I think we've got the momentum now," Adams said. "We've had our challenges, but we've met them head on."
- Kevin Schmit