Class 4A Football: Mustangs Notch Round 1 Win Over Marshall

Breaking It Down: It wasn't pretty, but the found a way to get the job done against the Marshall Commandos, notching a 10-6 victory Saturday at Rockne Stadium in Chicago.

Overcoming six fumbles, three of which the Mustangs lost, Evergreen Park used a late, play-action pass to find the end zone with 7:29 left to get the victory. The pass, which was a connection between quarterback Brandon White and tight end Kyle Venhuizen, was set up by the strong second half running of Victor Baker.

Baker led the charge coming out of the locker room with the Mustangs down 6-3, carrying the ball 16 times in the second half and setting up the winning score.

On the defensive side, Evergreen Park's Chris Cheatham grabbed a game-sealing interception with just 1:32 left to lock up the vicotry.

Patch’s MVP: Kyle Venhuizen, tight end, Evergreen Park. While he only had one catch in the game, he made sure it counted. On third-and-10 from the Marshall 24, Venhuizen gave a quick outside move on his defender before breaking toward the goalposts. As he broke, White lofted the ball and Venhuizen hauled it in for the score and the win.

Evergreen Park Stat Pack: Running back Victor Baker had 104 yards in the second half to power Evergreen Park late in the game. Ryan Sullivan had a sack and recovered a fumble for the Mustangs. Jeremy Esparza kicked a 23-yard field goal.

Marshall Stat Pack: Shadoe Nichols had 11 carries for 32 yards. Quarterback Quinell Johnson rushed for a touchdown, but had pass intercepted. The Commandos' defense forced four turnovers, three fumbles and one interception.

Quotable I: Victor Baker, running back, Evergreen Park, on his team's scoring drive: “We were in the locker room and we were like, 'We got the potential to win, we got to step it up.' Then we just came together, the O-line came together, everyone came together. We just marched down the field and scored.”

Quotable II: Dan Hartman, coach, Evergreen Park, on his team's fumbling problems: “I think we put the ball on the ground more today than we did all year. I think we only lost one fumble all year, and I think we only put it on the ground three times all year, total. We surpassed that in the first quarter. I think it really showed a lot about our kids that they came back and battled all day long.”

Team Records: Evergreen Park improves to 7-3. Marshall finishes 8-2.

What’s Next: Evergreen Park will host Rock Island Alleman Friday, Nov. 4. The official game time will be announced Monday. Rock Island Alleman defeated Chicago Phillips 49-0 on Friday.

Scores of Interest: Richards 28, Hyde Park 14; Crete-Monee 63, Bloomington 14. For more scores, check out the IHSA ScoreZone.