After Crushing Loss Friday, ETHS Football Must Beat New Trier For A Shot at the Playoffs

Written by Dennis Mahoney.

One reason Maine South’s football team took a 63-game winning streak in Central Suburban League South division play into Friday’s matchup with visiting Evanston is that, more often than not over the past 12 plus seasons, the Hawks have been able to deliver an early knockout punch.

They did it again Friday, striking for three touchdowns in the first quarter and cruising to a 35-0 victory over the Wildkits in Park Ridge.

Evanston netted just 61 yards of total offense and the defeat dropped the losers (5-3 overall, 2-2 CSL South) into a must-win situation as far as nailing down a berth in the Illinois High School Association state playoffs. The Wildkits will likely need to close out the regular season with a victory over New Trier (next Friday at Lazier Field) to keep their season alive.

The losers surrendered two touchdowns in the first four minutes of play and never recovered. Maine South sophomore quarterback Brian Collis threw four short touchdown passes and was 18-of-30 overall for 202 yards.

“We just didn’t compete the way we wanted to tonight,” admitted ETHS head coach Mike Burzawa. “We didn’t execute, and we missed assignments up front so our quarterback (Chris Little) never could get comfortable in the pocket. We have a lot of work to do. We have to get better all the way around.”

Little was sacked five times and only completed 6-of-17 passes for 20 yards, his lowest output of the season. He threw a rare interception, only his fourth of the year in more than 200 attempts, that set up Maine South’s second score just two minutes after the Hawks got on the scoreboard first on a 36-yard run by Justin Fahey.

Linebacker Vinny Labus picked off a Little pass and returned it to the Evanston 4, and on the next play Collis tossed a TD pass to Tommy Bazarek.

Maine South drove 90 yards in 12 plays on its next possession, which culminated with another TD pass by Collis, this one covering 5 yards to a leaping George Sargeant.

Evanston trailed 28-0 at halftime and only had nine total yards of offense to go with two first downs. Punter Nate Brown provided one of the few highlights for the visitors by averaging 39.4 yards on eight punts, including a 64-yarder.