Stanek helps Lincoln-Way East take care of Lockport

Most top football programs don't make radical shifts heading into the regular-season finale.

But Lincoln-Way East head coach Rob Zvonar and his staff gambled by making a quarterback change, and based on how things turned out against Lockport, the Griffins should be a better team as they head into the postseason.

FOOTBALL

Spencer Stanek stepped in at quarterback for Blake Hammond, who moved back to the receiver position that he played last season. Stanek threw for one score and ran for another as East captured a 31-8 SouthWest Suburban Blue victory over the Porters in Frankfort.

The Griffins (7-2, 5-2) bounced back from a disappointing 23-22 loss to Sandburg, in which they couldn't hold a 15-point fourth-quarter lead.

Meanwhile, the Porters (4-5, 2-5) failed to advance to the playoffs for the second time in the past three seasons.

"We knew things wouldn't go perfect with the switch that we made on offense, but we're real proud of Spencer," Zvonar said. "We've got another weapon on the perimeter with Blake and I think it will bee a good situation for us.

"We also had a tremendous effort on defense tonight. We're pleased to bounce back from our disappointment last and win 31-8 against a a quality team that's well coached and was fighting to get into the playoffs."

The Griffins gained the momentum early when Mike Yarus blocked a punt and Al White picked up the loose ball and returned it 24 yards to make it 6-0 with 7:39 left in the first quarter. Brett Thomaston tacked on the extra point.

Midway through the second quarter, East took over on Lockport's 37 following a punt and needed just one play to score again. Stanek (8-of-16, 104 yards) found a wide-open Austin Zenere over the middle. Zenere went the distance to help his team a 14-0 lead with 7:58 left in the first half.

"I was really nervous coming into this game, so I'm really happy with how I did," Stanek said. "Everyone really stepped up on offense and it was a great game. We really played like a team tonight. We responded from our loss to Sandburg like we did when we beat Lincoln-Way Central after losing to Bolingbrook."

East broke things open early in the third quarter when it took advantage of an interception and a fumble recovery to help it to produce 10 more points.

On the opening series of the second half, Tom Lilja picked off a pass and returned it 35 yards to the Porters 12.

Then on the Griffins' first play of the second half, Dan Cebula (22 carries, 70 yards) bounced off tacklers as he covered the 12 yards over the right side to help boost the lead to 21-0 just 1:03 after the break.

Lockport fumbled at its own 34 on its next series and Chris Narel recovered for the Griffins, who settled for a 29-yard field goal from Thomaston with 7:42 left in the third quarter.

The Porters finally got on the scoreboard with 8:05 left in the contest when Scott Carroll tossed a 59-yard scoring pass to John Voltarel. The pair also hooked up on the 2-point conversion.

East responded on the ensuing series when it capped a 12-play, 80-yard drive with a 19-yard bootleg by Stanek to conclude the scoring with 2:51 remaining.

The Griffins defense limited the Porters to just 68 rushing yards on 27 attempts, with Greg Gonsoulin gaining 64 yards on 20 carries.

No. 1 Mount Carmel 56Hales Franciscan 6

Jordan Lynch scored on runs of 9 and 5 yards, and also threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Justin Bracken in leading Mount Carmel (9-0) to the Catholic League crossover victory at Eckersall Stadium. Tim Brown ran for 154 yards and three TDs (3, 6, 59 yards) for the Caravan, while Edwin Williams reached the end zone on a 50-yard jaunt, part of his 141-yard rushing effort.

No. 2 Richards 47, Argo 0

Host Richards (9-0, 5-0) completed an undefeated season in the South Suburban Red as Tommie Thomas (8-of-10, 87 yards) threw touchdown passes of 2 yards to Tyrone Roper and 20 yards to Sean Pratl. Thomas also returned a punt 70 yards for a score, and teammate Donte Kelly brought back a kickoff 53 yards for another TD. Lamar Harvey chipped in 111 yards on eight carries for the Bulldogs, reaching pay dirt on runs of 1 and 10 yards.

Argo fell to 5-4, 2-3.

No. 4 Brother Rice 48Seton Academy 7

Brother Rice (7-2) rolled to the nononconference win in Chicago's Mount Greenwood community.

Seton Academy closed with a 1-8 record.

No. 7 Oak Forest 35, Shepard 9

Oak Forest (8-1, 5-0) earned the South Suburban Blue win at home. Quarterback Ron Czarnecki (5-of-11, 120 yards, 3 TDs) led the Bengals' aerial assault. Bobby Walsh (17 carries, 112 yards, TD) led the ground attack.

Shepard (2-7, 1-4) was paced by Ryan Ferguson (7-of-20, 98 yards, TD, interception) and Demitrius Ward (22 carries, 63 yards).

No. 9 De La Salle 21, Fenwick 7

Cordero Gaston rushed 27 times for 232 yards and two touchdowns (49, 13) yards as De La Salle (7-2, 4-0) captured the Catholic League White win in the Bronzeville community. Elliott Brown tacked on a 1-yard scoring run for the Meteors, who posted their first outright conference title since winning the Chicago Prep League in 1968.

No. 10 Lemont 42, Bremen 0

Brett Nagel had nine carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns as host Lemont (7-2, 4-1) prevailed in the South Suburban Blue. Nagel reached the end zone on carries of 40 and 21 yards, and also hooked up with Peter Corsi on a 23-yard scoring pass. Bobby Earnest added TD runs of 50 and 23 yards for the Indians. He finished the game with 102 yards on eight carries.

Bremen dropped to 4-5, 1-4.

Bloom Township 28, Thornton 25

DeAngelo Blatcher's 5-yard touchdown run with 1 minute, 58 seconds to play in the game lifted Bloom Township (5-4, 3-1) to the SICA East victory in Chicago Heights.

Thornton ended the campaign at 3-6, 3-1.

Marist 41, St. Joseph 14

Colin Monnier had three catches for 107 yards and a touchdown as host Marist (4-5, 3-4) prevailed in the East Suburban Catholic Conference.

Reavis 17, Oak Lawn 7

Mo Faraj intercepted two passes and also scored on a 40-yard fumble return in pacing Reavis (7-2, 4-1) to the South Suburban Red victory in Burbank. Andrej Waclaw added a 10-yard touchdown run for the Rams.

Oak Lawn dropped to 2-7, 2-3.

Providence Catholic 55Guerin Prep 13

Sean Lindbloom had 12 carries for 171 yards and a touchdown for host Providence Catholic (5-4) in the Catholic League crossover. Bobby McDonald chipped in a pair of scoring runs for the Celtics and Shane Paty crossed the goal line on a 92-yard kickoff return.

Hillcrest 20, Tinley Park 6

Hillcrest (6-3, 3-2) won the South Suburban Blue game in Country Club Hills.

Tinley Park fell to 2-7, 1-4.

Crete-Monee 27, T.F. North 7

Julian Hopkins threw for 296 yards as visiting T.F. North (2-7, 1-4) was beaten in the SICA South.

St. Patrick 7, Marian Catholic 0

Marian Catholic (5-4, 3-4) lost the East Suburban Catholic Conference game at Chicago's Hanson Stadium.

Bishop McNamara 30St. Ignatius 20

St. Ignatius (3-6, 0-4) came up short in the Catholic League White contest at St. Rita.

Rich South 28, Rich East 20

Nick Perkins (9-of-11, 195 yards) threw touchdown passes of 27 yards to Marvin Moraga and 25 yards to James Blair in sparking Rich South (4-5, 2-3) to the SICA South victory in Richton Park. Perkins also scored on a 1-yard run, while Jeremy Hamilton returned a fumble 38 yards for another TD.

Reggie Byrd (14 carries, 183 yards) had scoring runs of 72 and 62 yards for Rich East (7-2, 4-1).

Rich Central 7, Kankakee 0

Giorgio Bowers' 2-yard TD run with eight minutes left in the opening quarter lifted Rich Central (4-5, 3-2) to the SICA South win in Kankakee. The touchdown was set up by a blocked punt by Darnell Banks.

Lincoln-Way Central 35, Stagg 6

Robbie Glielmi (8-of-13, 174 yards, 2 TDs) tossed scoring passes to Kevin and Matt Taylor as Lincoln-Way Central (6-3, 4-3) rolled to the SouthWest Suburban Red win in New Lenox.

Stagg fell to 3-6, 1-6.

PUBLIC LEAGUEILLINI CONFERENCE PLAYOFFSNo. 3 Morgan Park 42, Julian 8

Preston Griffin gained 142 yards on 13 carries and scored twice (18, 5 yards) in leading Morgan Park (8-1) to the opening-round victory at Gately Stadium. Quarterback Victor Scott also starred for the Mustangs, throwing touchdown passes of 34 yards to Daron Brown and 13 yards to Julius Stallworth.

Curie 27, Marshall 26

Keith Lewis ran for three touchdowns and passed for another score as Curie (6-3) recorded the first-round win at Lane Stadium.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Eisenhower 25-23-27Argo 22-25-25

Amanda Benegas' 14 kills and six aces helped Eisenhower (14-13, 5-6) earn the South Suburban Red win in Blue Island. Kelsey Chase (4 kills) and Becca Tornga (21 assists, 4 aces) also pitched in for the Cardinals.

GCAC Red Tournament

Top-ranked Mother McAuley (26-7) won all three of its matches, defeating St. Ignatius (25-15, 25-18), Regina Dominican (25-11, 25-18) and Mount Assisi (25-14, 25-17).

Melissa Joyce led the way for the Mighty Macs, totaling 36 assists, 16 digs and eight kills on the night. Teammate Val Zulevic added 13 kills and six blocks.

Mount Assisi split its other two matches, beating Regina (25-18, 25-12) and losing to St. Ignatius (21-25, 25-17, 25-21).

Breanne Rimkus paced the attack for Mount Assisi (19-14) with 23 kills and Mary Broadhurst dished out 68 assists. Laura Flerick added 15 kills for the Eagles.

St. Ignatius downed Regina 25-13, 25-13. The Wolfpack received 55 assists from Margot Mitchell and 21 kills from Morgan Mientus. Rory Arrigo (17 kills) also contributed.

Host Queen of Peace defeated Trinity 25-15, 23-25, 25-14 and Resurrection 25-17, 23-25, 25-18 before losing to Loyola Academy 11-25, 28-26, 25-20.

GCAC White Tournament

Host De La Salle defeated St. Benedict 25-19, 25-14, St. Francis de Sales 25-14, 25-10 and Maria 25-12, 25-8.

Maria lost to St. Benedict 25-14, 25-19 and St. Francis de Sales 18-25, 25-21, 25-20.

BOYS SOCCER

CLASS AA ARGO REGIONALArgo 3, Curie 2

Argo (15-6-1) triumphed in the championship match as Guillermo DeLuna scored with 1 minute, 18 seconds left to play to snap a 2-all tie. Christian Marquez provided the other two goals for the Argonauts.

CLASS AA ANDREW REGIONALAndrew 4, Illiana Christian 2

Andrew (14-7) received goals from Ryan Butler, Matt Ourandnik, Kyle Mastey and Matt Prusak in claiming the regional crown at home.

CLASS AA MOUNT CARMEL REGIONALMount Carmel 4, Kennedy 1

David Martinez netted a pair of goals as Mount Carmel (18-6) triumphed in the title round. Tony Aguilar and Hugo Mendez also scored goals for the Caravan.

CLASS AA ST. IGNATIUSREGIONALSt. Ignatius 1Whitney Young 0 (3 OTs)

John Ouimet's rebound goal with 5:38 left in the third overtime propelled St. Ignatius (4-20-2) in the championship match.

CLASS AA UNIVERSITY HIGH REGIONALBrother Rice 2University High 1 (3 OTs)

John Stewart scored on an assist from Paul Neilan with 2:45 remaining in the third extra session, lifting Brother Rice (11-9) to victory in the championship match. Sean Noble had the other goal for the Crusaders, tallying in the 45th minute to even the score at 1.

GIRLS TENNIS

IHSA Tournament

Gia McKnight of Morgan Park and Jessica Wacnik of Stagg each won twice Friday to advance in the consolation bracket, with McKnight moving on to the seventh round and Wacnik qualifying for the sixth round. In doubles, Michelle Perry and Liz Exo of Lincoln-Way East triumphed in all three of their contests to advance to the seventh round of the consolation bracket.

All other Southland singles players and doubles teams were eliminated in the meet hosted by Prospect High School in Mount Prospect. Play is scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. today.

In the team standings, Hinsdale Central held first place by a wide margin, accumulating 44 points, 19 more than second-place Downers Grove South. Prairie Ridge and Highland Park were tied for third with 24 points apiece. Among Southland squads, Lincoln-Way East was tied for 12th with 13 points and Stagg held a share of 16th with 12 points.

McKnight's next opponent was not made available. She began the day by losing in the fourth round of the championship bracket, dropping a 6-4, 6-3 decision to Annie Sullivan of Woodlands Academy. McKnight then rebounded to defeat Emily Reuland of Rosary 6-3, 6-0.

Wacnik is slated to play Nicole Lipp of Lake Forest at Fremd High School in Palatine. Wacnik opened with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Courtney Burek of Wheaton-Warrenville South, and followed with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph opposite Carolyn Huerth of Prairie Ridge.

Perry's and Exo's next match is to be held at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, with Brooke Morse-Karzen and Dee Dee Myers of New Trier providing the opposition.

Overall, Perry and Exo won three times Friday, the first being a 6-3, 6-2 decision over April Burrage and Molly Miretzky of Payton Prep. The Lincoln-Way East tandem followed with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Edy Graham and Jaclyn Tracy of Springfield Sacred-Heart Griffin. The final victory was by a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 count over Amanda Schwartz and Ashlyn Selzer of Glenbard West.

The two other Southland doubles teams that survived the opening day of action both were eliminated Friday in the fourth round of the consolation bracket. Kaitlyn Domico and Brittany Flanagan of Providence Catholic fell 6-0, 6-2 to Hannah Klusendorf and Mary McGuire of Loyola Academy. Likewise, Kaffi King and Makenzie Schwartz of Mother McAuley fell 6-2, 6-2 to Liz and Amanda Budnik of York.

In singles, Taylor Patterson of Homewood-Flossmoor and Melissa Kopinski of Stagg were knocked out in the sixth round of consolation play. Patterson lost 6-2, 6-0 to Gabbie Clark of University High, and Kopinski was on the losing end of a 6-3, 6-3 score against Kayla Fujimoto of Geneva.

Morgan Park Academy's Asia Lamar and Lincoln-Way East's Leah Pascarella made it as far as the fifth round of the consolation bracket before being eliminated. Lamar lost 6-4, 6-3 to Bryna Nasenbeny of Waubonsie Valley, while Pascarella was beaten 6-3, 6-2 by Allison Murphy of Prairie Ridge.

Lemont's Jessica Urban and Rich South's Rahshell Washington were eliminated in the fourth round of the consolation draw. Urban fell 6-1, 6-1 to Mia Elmore of Springfield, and Washington lost 7-6 (2), 6-1 to Nelle Youel of Crystal Lake Central.

Contributing: Correspondents Josh Krockeyand Chris Kuchta.