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09/23/01

Redhawks remain unbeaten as coach earns 200th career win

By Alan Ferguson
STAFF WRITER

  All week, Joe Bunge remained tight-lipped as usual. The ever-modest Naperville Central coach treated the Redhawks game against Wheaton North and an opportunity to earn 200 victories, which only 19 other coaches in state history have accomplished, like any other.

   His players, however, found out about his impending milestone through the grapevine and weren't about to allow their coach leave the field without a proper congratulations following the Redhawks 35-14 victory Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

   The Central players mobbed Bunge in a tight circle then furiously patted his back before the coach led them in one final chant and they left the field.

   "We played for him today," Central quarterback Phil Horvath said. "He didn't talk about it all week, but our quarterback coach (Jim) Rexilius told me to tell everyone. We talked about it, and everyone played hard for him. He didn't tell us. He was trying to keep it a secret."

   In his 23rd season, Bunge carries a 200-55 overall record and a 137-41 mark in his 16th year at the school. He is the fourth coach this season to reach 200, joining Everett Stine of Byron, Bob Bradshaw of Greenfield and Frank Lenti of three-time defending state champion Mount Carmel.

   "It's a nice thing to have," Bunge said. "When I first started, I didn't know if I would ever have a goal like that to get 200 or not. It makes me think and reflect back on all the teams that I've been lucky enough to coach and all the great kids that I've had a chance to coach. What it means to me is that I'm a lucky guy, and I thank God for this."

   With the victory, the Redhawks also won their homecoming and became eligible for the postseason. With a win next week against Glenbard North, Central can clinch its 10th straight playoff berth and 18th overall.

   Horvath was 10-of-16 for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Dan Passarelli caught five Horvath passes for 95 yards and hauled in both scores. Tyke Spencer added four catches for 99 yards. Redhawks running back Kyle Griffith fell just shy of a 100-yard game with 97 on 15 carries and scored twice, and Central racked up 325 yards of offense.

   Pretty good numbers against the DuPage Valley Conference upstart Falcons, right? One small thing though. Those were all first half statistics.

   Central (5-0 overall, 3-0 DVC) used an offensive blitzkrieg that at times seemed more suited for a 10-year-old whiz on PlayStation 2 than reality. The result was a surprising 28-0 halftime advantage against the Falcons (3-2, 1-2 DVC), who came into the game after a big 17-14 victory a week earlier against Glenbard North at home.

   "I was very surprised that they didn't put any points on the board (in the first half)," Spencer said. "Our defense is incredible, but to shut a team out for a half is very good, especially a team like Wheaton North."

   While the Falcons got their offense moving in the second half and scored twice, the Redhawks were never threatened. Central finished with a season-best 424 yards on offense.

   "We played better than we did last week, but not as good as we need to play next week," Bunge said. "We still made mistakes, but we played better than we did last week. We're happy with the way things came out."

   Central's passing proved especially potent in the first half as Horvath picked apart the Falcons secondary, throwing both of his touchdowns to Dan Passarelli in the first quarter and averaging 21 yards per completion.

   "He's been throwing the ball well since the beginning of the season," Passarelli said. "We had a great week of practice. Phil is probably one of the best quarterbacks in the state, and he gets us the ball when we need it. He throws the ball right there every time."

   As the Redhawks tried to run out the clock, Horvath threw just one pass in the second half, a 26-yarder to Tyke Spencer — who ended the night with a team-best five catches for 115 yards. Horvath finished with a season-high 236 yards on 11-of-19 passing.

   "They bring a lot of guys in the box, and there's a lot of man coverage on their defense," Horvath said. "We took advantage with going one-on-one with our receivers. We figured we had the advantage."

   While the Redhawks also gained 188 yards on the ground and averaged nearly 5 yards per carry, the big play was definitely in the pass. Central had only one run for more than 20 yards — Griffith's 26-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Griffith also ran for a 3-yard score before the half and ended with 127 yards on 24 attempts. Dan Paquette added a 10-yard score in the third quarter and gained 43 yards on eight carries.

   "They just executed," Falcons coach Matt Foster said. "They did a great job. That's the way they are. There is a reason for them being ranked where they are. They have a great football team and a great coaching staff."

Naperville Central 35, Wheaton North 14 boxperiods2: Wheaton North 0 0 6 8 — 14 Naperville Central 14 14 7 0 — 35 ag NC — Passarelli, 18-yard pass from Horvath (Szatko kick). NC — Passarelli, 26-yard pass from Horvath (Szatko kick). NC — Griffith, 26-yard run (Szatko kick). NC — Griffith, 3-yard run (Szatko kick). WN — Griffin, 5-yard run (kick failed). NC — Paquette, 10-yard run (Szatko kick). WN — Slocum, 19-yard pass from Ullrich (Slocum pass from Ullrich).

Team statistics WN NC First downs 20 23 Comp-att-int 19-30-1 11-19-0 Yards passing 165 236 Rushes-yards 37-139 40-188 Total yards 304 424 Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-0 Penalties-yards 4-35 1-10

Individual statistics

RUSHING: Wheaton North — Cvengros 15-54, Harris 10-54, Griffin 7-35, Ullrich 5-(-4). Naperville Central — Griffith 24-127, Paquette 8-43, Barenbrugge 3-11, Horvath 3-9, Nardi 1-2, Passarelli 1-(-4).

PASSING: Wheaton North — Ullrich 19-30-1 165. Naperville Central — Horvath 11-19-0 236.

RECEIVING: Wheaton North — Slocum 9-88, Spencer 7-57, Harris 1-13, Glienke 1-11, Cvengros 1-(-4). Naperville Central — Spencer 5-115, Passarelli 5-95, Benson 1-26.

Sophomore score: Naperville Central 29, Wheaton North 14.

 

BY THE NUMBERS
number:5 Naperville Central quarterback Phil Horvath threw just eight incompletions against Wheaton North on Friday, but five of his passes either were dropped or went off the fingertips of a potential receiver. number:8 With Dave Atkinson's interception late in the fourth quarter, the Redhawks secondary recorded its eighth pick of the year and also kept another defensive streak alive with their fifth consecutive game with an interception.number:15 With the victory against the Falcons, Redhawks coach Joe Bunge, in his 23rd season, picked up career victory No. 200. Bunge has earned 15 percent of those 200 wins in the past two and a half seasons, recording a 30-1 mark.number:43 Both Naperville Central and Wheaton North kept the chain crew busy Friday night, racking up 43 first downs with the Redhawks earning 23. In case you were curious, Mattoon holds the state record for most first downs in a game by one team with 36 against Centralia in 1974.QUARTER BY QUARTER 1st quarter Central scores on its second possession as quarterback Phil Horvath hits Dan Passarelli over the middle for an 18-yard touchdown. The Redhawks stop Wheaton North on four plays then head to the air for another quick score as Horvath finds Passarelli down the sideline for a 26-yard strike. Central leads 14-0. 2nd quarter The Falcons mount their first sustained drive but stall at the Redhawks 14-yard line when Andy Crowder blocks Zach Ullrich's 31-yard field goal attempt. Central converts that play into points seven plays later as Kyle Griffith sprints for a 26-yard score. Griffith adds a 3-yard touchdown on the Redhawks' next drive. Central leads 28-0. 3rd quarter Wheaton North mounts a 16-play drive that eats up more than half the quarter. The Falcons' T.J. Griffin rushes for 18 yards on three of the drive's final four plays, including a 5-yard touchdown. Ullrich misses the extra point. Central responds with a score as Craig Paquette runs for a 10-yard score. Central leads 35-6. 4th quarter The Falcons score again as Ullrich hits Mark Slocum on a 19-yard pass just beyond the reach of Central defensive back Josh Rubin. Ullrich and Slocum connect on the conversion pass as well. The teams trade possessions with nothing to show. Just as the Falcons look like they are about to add a late score, Dave Atkinson snags an Ullrich pass and returns it to midfield, where Central runs out the clock. Central wins 35-14.

09/23/01