Balanced offense, aggressive defense, reliable special teams equal state title for Mustangs

By Brad Nolan

STAFF WRITER

  Ignore the seedings. Don't believe all the hype. Naperville Central can be beaten in Saturday night's IHSA Class 8A state championship game. And Downers Grove South is a team that can and will do so.

  Last weekend, the Mustangs knocked off defending state champion and previously unbeaten Maine South 35-34 in a captivating overtime thriller. Coach John Belskis' squad summoned guts, determination and skill to rally from a 21-10 halftime deficit, rebound from a late Hawks touchdown and finally secure the victory with a game-winning two-point conversion.

  Topple the 2000 state champion one week. Why not the 1999 champ the next?

  Downers South (11-2), which has won 10 straight games, has virtually every intangible and every extra it will need to emerge victorious Saturday. From the quarterback to the kicker, every player exudes confidence and executes with purpose and precision. Against Maine South, such qualities didn't run and hide when the situation looked hopeless. Instead, they reared their heads and spurned the stunning upset.

  Like Villanova over Georgetown, Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson and Harry Truman over Thomas Dewey, Downers South will defeat Goliath and claim its first-ever football state championship.

Special teams, special players

  The Mustangs hold one distinct advantage over Naperville Central — their special teams. Throughout the 2001 season, and especially in the playoffs, this unit has played an essential role in Downers South's success.

  A pair of players stand above the rest. Kicker Kris Coffee and kick returner Kent Hughes time and time again have shown the ability to take over and change the course of a game. Coffee nailed two field goals Saturday, including a season-best and game-tying 39-yard kick as time expired in regulation against Maine South. On several occasions, he pinned the Hawks deep in their own territory with strong-legged kickoffs or radar-guided punts.

  Coffee's play last Saturday wasn't a fluke. The junior standout booted six touchbacks in the second round against Fremd. So far this season, he has 29 touchbacks and has converted nine of 11 field goals, including five of five in the playoffs. Evidenced in the semifinals, Coffee doesn't back down from pressure situations — he embraces them.

  "I wanted that kick," he said, referring to his game-tying, 39-yard field goal against Maine South. "I fazed everything out and my line gave me all the time in the world."

  Belskis knows he has a legitimate and unique weapon in Coffee — a weapon he will have to unleash in the state championship game to give his team every advantage possible.

  "(Coffee) has a world of confidence," Belskis said. "He loves to kick and it's his passion. It's a luxury to have such a confident kicker."

  Although Coffee's kicking will be critical against the Redhawks, if there's one Downers South player who most likely will affect the outcome of the game, it's kick returner and wide receiver Hughes. The 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound senior has Marshall Faulk-like qualities. Every time he touches the ball, he's capable of a game-changing play. In the first round of the playoffs, he hauled in three touchdown passes to ignite an early Mustangs' lead. The next week at Fremd he set up Downers South's first and final offensive touchdowns with kickoff returns of 30 and 60 yards respectively. In the quarterfinals against Sandburg, he either scored or put his team in position for 17 of its 31 points.

  The semifinal game was no different. In the first half, he took a short screen pass 77 yards for the Mustangs' first touchdown. He also caught the win-or-lose two-point conversion pass from quarterback Mike Cuzzone on the game's final play. Hughes has 41 catches for 923 yards and 12 touchdowns, including six in the playoffs.

  "Kent is a threat as both a receiver and returner," Belskis said. "He's been awfully good all year and I hope he's saving his best for last."

Other keys to victory

  Aside from Hughes, three-year starting quarterback Cuzzone has possession receiver Mitch Szczepaniak to solidify Downers South's balanced offense. The two wide-outs, along with tight ends Marc Piscitiello and Jake Martin, have helped Cuzzone establish himself as one of the most consistent and prudent signal callers in the state. Cuzzone doesn't make many mistakes — something that will be critical against Naperville Central.

  "Mike doesn't put us in a bad situation," Belskis said. "That's all you ask from your quarterback. He doesn't make a lot of great plays, but he runs the offense and puts us in good spots. Mike has been able to do that for his entire career."

  Cuzzone enters Saturday's championship game with the statistics to back up Belskis' assessment. So far in 2001, he has completed 100 of 171 passes for 1,786 yards, 23 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

  Impressive resume aside, Cuzzone will be the first to admit it is the Mustangs' two-pronged rushing attack that drives the offense. Sophomore Erick Newman (217 carries for 1,116 yards and 10 touchdowns) and senior Bob Nakielny (135 carries, 821 yards, 18 touchdowns) wear down defenses with their ability to pound the middle and break the big play.

  "Our running game takes the pressure off me," Cuzzone said. "Our running backs get most of the yards and then we throw when we need to."

  Defensively, Downers South must contain a powerful Naperville Central offense, led by running back Jason Paquette. Linebackers Adam Marchewka, Sam Carson, Dominic Logan and Alex Schultz have the quickness and size to do so. With linemen Paul Niznik, Charlie Wilkinson and Jim Kucera occupying the Redhawks offensive linemen, the Mustangs linebackers will key in on Paquette, who runs almost exclusively inside the tackles.

  Naperville Central quarterback Phil Horvath is a pocket passer, which will allow Marchewka (10 sacks) and Schultz (seven) opportunities to disrupt his rhythm. Defensive backs Pat Sathissarat, Josh Wieties, Fred Dudek and Martin will have their hands full with acrobatic Redhawks receiver Tyke Spencer and second target Dan Passarelli. But with the linebacking corps in front of them pressing Horvath, look for Sathissarat or Wieties to add to their combined interception total of six.

  Turnovers and big plays almost always define the difference in big games. Saturday likely will follow suit. In the postseason, the Mustangs have forced six turnovers and given up just three. Downers South also has prevented opposing offenses from producing what Belskis calls "explosion plays." Maine South had only two plays more than 30 yards, and none over 40, in the semifinal.

  Belskis knows his defense can, and must, continue this trend against Naperville Central.

  "It's going to be an extremely big key to get turnovers and stop the big play," he said. "Turnovers will give them one less chance to score and one more chance for us to score. It also gets their offense off the field and gives our defense a rest. We need to find ways of creating turnovers and not giving up explosion plays."

  The final advantage Downers South holds is in its wealth of capable defensive reserves. Linebackers T.J. Fuller (44 tackles) and Pat Bailey (18) and defensive backs Kitt Kopach (32, one interception) and Kyle Pott (29, 1) will see significant playing time Saturday. On the other hand, Naperville Central will rely heavily on its starters throughout the contest. Downers South has owned the second half in the postseason with fresh defenders and a relentless running game.

  Saturday night in Champaign, the Mustangs' tangible advantages will keep them in the game against the highly regarded Redhawks. Then their intangible advantages will lead them to victory.

  Downers Grove South MustangsBy the numbers

Team Points for 449 Points against 249 Yards rushing 2,310 Yards passing 1,786 Total yards 4,096 Rushing allowed 1,694 Passing allowed 1,946 Total allowed 3,640

Rushing Erick Newman — 217-1,116, 10 TDs Bob Nakielny — 135-821, 18 TDs Pat Bailey — 40-225, 1 TD Kent Hughes — 27-142, 1 TD

Passing Mike Cuzzone — 100-171-6-1,786, 23 TDs

Receiving Kent Hughes — 41-923, 12 TDs Mitch Szczepaniak — 30-523, 5 TDs Marc Piscitiello — 9-135, 2 TDs

Kicking Kris Coffee — 53 extra points, 9 field goals

11/23/01