Lincoln-Way East stings Sandburg
By Steve Millar For Sun-Times Media September 22, 2012 12:24AM
C.J. Brucki (9) and Lemonte Booker (1), shown leading Sandburg onto the field for a recent game, hope to lead the Eagles to a few wins in the state playoffs. | File photo
player of the game
Lincoln-Way East defensive back Sean Doherty had two interceptions, returning one 47 yards for a touchdown.
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Updated: October 24, 2012 6:48AM
Lincoln-Way East had just 14 total yards of offense in the first half of Friday night’s game against Sandburg.
The Griffins’ other two units were so good that it didn’t matter.
East led 14-0 at halftime behind an interception return for a touchdown by Sean Doherty and a punt return for a score by Justin Corbett before getting the offense going in the second half of a 28-7 SouthWest Suburban Blue win in Orland Park.
“I thought our ‘D’ played really great tonight,” Doherty said. “We focused on stopping (Sandburg running back Lemonte Booker), and I thought we did a great job on the run.”
Doherty set the tone on the first possession for Sandburg (4-1, 2-1), intercepting Sean Leland’s pass and returning it 47 yards to pay dirt to give East (5-0, 3-0) a quick lead.
After the Eagles went three-and-out on their second drive, Doherty had another interception to end the third drive.
Sandburg’s defense, which forced three turnovers and had four sacks, matched the Griffins’ toe to-toe early, but Corbett, shortly after dropping a pass in the end zone, helped make it 14-0 with a 63-yard punt return touchdown with 7:58 left in the half.
“I just had to rebound from the bad drop,” Corbett said. “As a leader, I knew I had to make a big play.”
East got its running game going after the break as Nick Colangelo (8 carries, 74 yards) ran for a 46-yard score and quarterback Tommy Fuessel (18 carries, 76 yards) scored on a 51-yard dash.
Sandburg got on the board on Matt Hellmich’s 1-yard plunge in the final minutes.
Booker was held to 69 yards on 16 carries. Dylan Swan led the Sandburg defense with a sack and a fumble recovery.
“It was the opposite of last week when our defense struggled,” East coach Rob Zvonar said. “We struggled offensively, but sometimes the other units have to pick you up.”
