| Home |
| Professional |
| Writing |
| About |
Mustangs see clearer picture against Proviso East
Downers Grove Sun, September 18, 2003
by Roy Taylor, Sun Correspondent
After Downers Grove South lost a heartbreaker at Hinsdale Central on Sept. 5, coach John Belskis and his team took some time to look in the mirror before their West Suburban Conference Gold opener Friday night. Apparently, Belskis and his squad found what they were looking for, handily defeating visiting Proviso East 49-0.
“After doing some soul-searching this week, this is the best thing that could happen to relieve the feelings we had from the previous loss,” Belskis said. “That’s about as good a game we could have played.”
Proviso East threw three interceptions, lost a fumble and botched two punt attempts deep in its own territory to put the Mustangs (21-, 1-0) in excellent scoring position four times. A 15-yard personal foul on the Pirates (--, 0-1) set up another South score.
“You can’t play a team like this, give them the ball six times and expect to win,” said Proviso East coach Clarence Flowers. “I’m disappointed any time we lose, but I’m more disappointed because I’m looking for improvement in the way we play. We’ve played three top-20 teams on the road, and it’s been tough.”
Downers Grove South dominated from the opening kickoff to the final gun. On the Mustangs’ first possession, standout running back Erick Newman drove his team 59 yards in three plays, opening the scoring with a 35-yard touchdown run.
Newman may have had the chance to pad his 83-yard rushing total, but the Pirates have up the ball inside their own 20-yard line on their first three possessions. First, a botched snap on a punt gave the Mustangs the ball at the Pirate 6, and Newman quickly scored after just two runs.
On Proviso East’s’ next possession, Mustangs defensive back Dan Heiniger intercepted a pass and returned it 43 yards to the Pirate 5. Two runs later, Newman scored his third touchdown of the evening and South led 21-0 with 5:54 remaining in the first quarter.
“I give all the credit to my offensive line,” Newman said. “When I score touchdowns, it’s like they’re scoring touchdowns, too, because they do all the work for me.”
Following Newman’s third sco0re, Proviso East again went three-and-out and bobbled the punt snap, giving the ball back to South at the Pirate 18. Five plays later, Sam Carson scored from the 1 and the Mustangs led 28-0.
Despite the fact that its ground game looked unstoppable, South decided to mix the pass into its offense in the second quarter.
On the first play of that period, quarterback Bob Dreveny hit a wide-open Dustin Szczepaniak on a 40-yard touchdown. Si9x minutes later, the duo hooked up again on a 30-yard score. Szczepaniak flashed his running ability on this play, hauling in the pass on the 15 and cutting across traffic to find the end zone.
On the ensuing kickoff, Proviso East fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Alex Sandberg. The Mustangs capitalized on the final turnover, scoring a touchdown six plays later on a 1-yard dive by Adam Bloom.
The 49-point lead at the half put a running clock into effect in the second half.
This week, Downers Grove hosts Hinsdale South.
“After doing some soul-searching this week, this is the best thing that could happen to relieve the feelings we had from the previous loss,” Belskis said. “That’s about as good a game we could have played.”
Proviso East threw three interceptions, lost a fumble and botched two punt attempts deep in its own territory to put the Mustangs (21-, 1-0) in excellent scoring position four times. A 15-yard personal foul on the Pirates (--, 0-1) set up another South score.
“You can’t play a team like this, give them the ball six times and expect to win,” said Proviso East coach Clarence Flowers. “I’m disappointed any time we lose, but I’m more disappointed because I’m looking for improvement in the way we play. We’ve played three top-20 teams on the road, and it’s been tough.”
Downers Grove South dominated from the opening kickoff to the final gun. On the Mustangs’ first possession, standout running back Erick Newman drove his team 59 yards in three plays, opening the scoring with a 35-yard touchdown run.
Newman may have had the chance to pad his 83-yard rushing total, but the Pirates have up the ball inside their own 20-yard line on their first three possessions. First, a botched snap on a punt gave the Mustangs the ball at the Pirate 6, and Newman quickly scored after just two runs.
On Proviso East’s’ next possession, Mustangs defensive back Dan Heiniger intercepted a pass and returned it 43 yards to the Pirate 5. Two runs later, Newman scored his third touchdown of the evening and South led 21-0 with 5:54 remaining in the first quarter.
“I give all the credit to my offensive line,” Newman said. “When I score touchdowns, it’s like they’re scoring touchdowns, too, because they do all the work for me.”
Following Newman’s third sco0re, Proviso East again went three-and-out and bobbled the punt snap, giving the ball back to South at the Pirate 18. Five plays later, Sam Carson scored from the 1 and the Mustangs led 28-0.
Despite the fact that its ground game looked unstoppable, South decided to mix the pass into its offense in the second quarter.
On the first play of that period, quarterback Bob Dreveny hit a wide-open Dustin Szczepaniak on a 40-yard touchdown. Si9x minutes later, the duo hooked up again on a 30-yard score. Szczepaniak flashed his running ability on this play, hauling in the pass on the 15 and cutting across traffic to find the end zone.
On the ensuing kickoff, Proviso East fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Alex Sandberg. The Mustangs capitalized on the final turnover, scoring a touchdown six plays later on a 1-yard dive by Adam Bloom.
The 49-point lead at the half put a running clock into effect in the second half.
This week, Downers Grove hosts Hinsdale South.
All Content © Roy Taylor 2007