Redhawks linemen prove worth in sloppy conference win
10/05/01
By Dan Shalin
SUN CORRESPONDENT

  Rarely are field conditions a major factor in a football game played on a crystal clear, 55-degree October night.

   But a Thursday night rainstorm, subpar drainage and the sophomore game turned the Glenbard East playing surface into a mud pit for Naperville Central's visit on Friday night.

   Slipping and sliding most of the way, the Redhawks overcame the swamplike field conditions — and a potential letdown after the previous week's Crosstown Classic win against rival Naperville North — to record a 14-0 victory over the pesky Rams.

   With the victory, Central (8-0, 6-0 DuPage Valley Conference) clinched at least a share of its fourth straight conference title. The Redhawks have now won 26 consecutive DVC games.

   The sloppy field caused many to alter their routines Friday — from the Glenbard East band, which was forced to march in place on the track, to the Central offense, which quickly discovered the game would not be a showcase for its big-play capabilities.

   "It was a power running game," said Central running back Jason Paquette."That's the mentality we came out with. We knew this wasn't going to be a finesse game.

   When Central tried to open things up, it was often unsuccessful. Quarterback Phil Horvath uncharacteristically threw three interceptions, and Central receivers dropped two sure touchdowns.

   The Redhawks completed just nine passes, but two were for touchdowns. The first, early in the second quarter, was a 30-yarder from Horvath to Tyke Spencer, who caught the ball at the 10 and broke several tackles on his way to the end zone.

   The second touchdown came early in the fourth when Paquette took a pitch from Horvath, dropped back and threw a 22-yarder to a wide-open Dan Passarelli, who was forced to dive for the ball in the end zone.

   "We've been working on it all season and finally got a chance to use it tonight," Paquette said. "It slipped out a little bit. I'm not much of a QB, but he made a great catch."

   Other than those two highlights — and Passarelli's 70-yard punt return for a touchdown that was called back because of a penalty — it was all about power running and defense for the Redhawks.

   Paquette carried the ball 30 times for 157 yards and was again impressive as the featured back — a role he assumed just two weeks ago when Central lost Kyle Griffith for the season to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

   Central's offensive line coach, Benny Kenyon, said Paquette, a former fullback, continues to develop the instincts of a tailback.

   "I think he's going to keep getting better," Kenyon said. "It's another 2 yards back from fullback that's going to give him a little more vision coming to the line. Tonight he was making cutbacks, whereas last week he just put his head down and ran like a fullback and outran everybody. Tonight he made good cuts while reading his blocks."

   Kenyon's offensive linemen also deserve credit for their role in Central's running attack, which hasn't skipped a beat since the loss of Griffith.

   "I was proud of the boys tonight," Kenyon said. "Except for two penalties, they played consistent. We haven't had that all year. We've had some ups and downs. Because of the conditions, I'm not going to complain about this one. The holes were there for some running, and the pass protection was there."

   Center Brad Shipley said the unit he anchors has come together in recent weeks, on and off the field. He said the important bond between the linemen has been strengthened since the group began eating their game-day lunches together earlier in the season.

   Each game the offensive line sets the same basic goals: 300 yards rushing and no sacks. Those goals were not quite met Friday — the Redhawks gained 196 yards but gave up zero sacks — but the performance was enough to subdue a physical Glenbard East defense.

   "The 'O' line was sliding around together tonight," Shipley said. "And when push came to shove, we shoved back. We pushed the ball well, at times."

   Kenyon, who has been in his position for eight years and has coached some fine offensive lines, said he is unable to call this year's group the best he has coached. But he said the 2001 line — Jeff Houghtabing, Brendan Baskin, Shipley, Justin Swartz, Rob Bentley and tight end Curt Benson — still has one regular-season game and the postseason to cement its place in his heart and in Naperville Central history.

   "We still have a lot of room to get better," he said. "We haven't peaked yet, and we haven't had our best games yet. As the weeks come, we'll see if they will be as good as some of the others."

   While the offensive front continues to improve, the defensive front seven is clearly playing its best football of 2001. Friday was Central's second consecutive shutout and third of the season. Linebacker Nick Ehrlich was heavily involved for the defense — he had the hit of the game on Glenbard East running back Mike Jaber.

   The secondary was hardly tested, though Brad Matthews picked off a pass late in the second quarter.

   Glenbard East (3-5, 2-4) finished the game with 94 total yards, and only 3 yards passing.

   "Glenbard East had one play for about 15 yards on the first series, and after that they really didn't have anything," said John Urban, Central's defensive coordinator. "They tried. They are tough kids over there. They played hard, but we played harder. We out-techniqued them. Our kids wanted to win (the) DVC today, and that's what happened."

  This week, the Redhawks look to win the conference outright when pass-happy West Chicago comes to Naperville for the regular-season finale.

 

Naperville Central 14, Glenbard East 0

Boxperiods2: Naperville Central 0 7 0 7 — 14 Glen Ellyn 0 0 0 0 — 0 ag NC — Spencer, 30-yard pass from Horvath (Szatko kick). NC — Passarelli, 22-yard pass from Paquette (Szatko kick).

Team statistics NC GE First downs 18 6 Comp-att-int 9-18-3 2-10-1 Yards passing 111 3 Rushes-yards 38-196 27-91 Total yards 303 94 Fumbles-lost 2-1 0-0 Penalties-yards 7-60 5-25

Individual statistics

RUSHING: Naperville Central — Paquette 30-157, Small 4-24, Horvath 2-9, Schueler 2-6. Glenbard East — Jaber 12-50, Boulton 10-38, Kurtz 1-5, Coppock 4-(-2).

PASSING: Naperville Central — Horvath 8-17-3 89, Paquette 1-1-0 22. Glenbard East — Coppock 2-9-1 3, Jaber 0-1-0 0.

RECEIVING: Naperville Central — Spencer 6-74, Passarelli 1-22, Long 1-13, Paquette 1-2. Glenbard East — Martinez 1-6, Jaber 1-(-3).

10/14/01
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