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Warriors Top Rich East
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Jim Baranski
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Crete Record
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October 16, 2008
Football is a game of momentum. On October 10, Crete-Monee appeared to have it going their way as the Warriors led visiting Rich East 21-7 at the half. The Rockets, however, tied the contest 28-28 early in the fourth quarter. The Warriors eventually turned it up a notch.
Scoring two touchdowns in the final seven minutes, Crete-Monee downed the Rockets 42-28. With the win, the Warriors 4-3, 3-0) have sole possession of the top spot in SICA South. "We have been in several games that were tight in the fourth quarter," Crete-Monee coach Jerry Verde said. "I think that experience helped us."
"Rich East had made some good offensive adjustment that led to some big gainers," Verde continued. "Our defense is not use to giving up points and yardage like they did tonight. They (Rich East) did come up with some big plays."
Midway in the fourth period, the Rockets (6-1, 2-1) were marching for the go-ahead score. Rocket quarterback Stephen O'Neal lost the snap, and Warrior Hakeem Moore-Hughes pounced on the ball at the Rich East 39.
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From there, the C-M offense went to work. Steve Trudo circled right end for a 10-yard gain. Two plays later, Julius Spicer ripped off 13 more yards for a first down at the 17. After Spicer tacked on five more, the Rockets committed a pair of penalties. On first-and-3, Brian Hatwood followed Greg Baksdale and William Burgress into the end zone. The Warriors tried an onside kick to stymie the Rockets, but Rich East recovered at its own 45.
On third-and-4, Gary Young sacked O'Neal to force a Rocket punt. A high snap left the Rocket punter on the run, and Christopher Buckley nailed Kashaune McKinney for a 20-yard loss. It took only two plays for the Warriors to seal the victory. Spicer gained 16. Then it was the return of the big lineup for the Warriors, and Hatwood scored his fourth touchdown of the game going in from the five yardline. The final Rocket possession ended when Greg Barksdale nailed Rocket receiver Joshua Dyer short of a first down.
"In the fourth quarter, both our offensive and defensive units refocused," Verde praised. "I am proud of our effort tonight." In the first half, the Warriors overcame three Rich East interceptions to jump to a 21-7 lead.
Crete-Monee tallied first as the Warriors marched 76 yards on nine plays. A third down 19-yard completion from Armanda Pierre to Trudo highlighted the drive. Hatwood scored on a three-yard run with 3:22 left in the opening quarter. Then Daniel Ringenberg kicked the first of his six straight conversions.
Coming into the contest, the Warriors were just 1-of-10 kicking extra points. "We have continued to stress the kicking game in practice," Verde said. "In practice, we were hitting the extra points and longer field goals, but in the games, we were hesitant.
"Tonight, we had long snapper Dennis Hock back from a shoulder injury. We enjoyed perfect snaps from Hock, perfect holds from Barksdale, and great kicks from Ringenberg. The Rockets tied the game taking advantage of one of those three interceptions. Jordan Byrd picked off a Pierre pass and returned it 50 yards to the Crete-Monee 17. Daniel Harris then scored on a five-yard run.
Led by the running of Cortez Scott, the Warriors quickly grabbed a 14-7 advantage. Scott had runs of 28 and 29 yards with the latter one going for a touchdown with 4:14 left in the half. With Barksdale stopping Rocket Reggie Byrd short on fourth down, the Warriors were poised to score again. But, Jovan James picked off a Warrior pass, stepping in front of Dylan McElveen. However, on the next play, McElveen returned the favor, intercepting a pass and racing down the far sideline to the Rocket 1. Hatwood scored another six-pointer.
Even though the Rockets had just one minute to move the ball, Rich East put a scare into the Warriors. After picking up a first down on the hook-and-ladder, O'Neal lofted a strike to Wendynn Jackson running free in the secondary. Finally, Immanuel Jackson tackled him one foot short of the goal as time expired. "He was not my man, but I had to step in," Jackson said. "You have to hustle back, and I am giving 100 per cent."
In the second, the Rockets took advantage of the big play. Fullback Imari Henry scored a pair of touchdowns on runs of 26 and 75 yards. The latter started the fourth quarter. The Rockets also received a six-pointer from Reggie Byrd who set up the score with a 66-yard reception for O'Neal.
"Rich East made changes," Verde said. "We were working on containment on the outside, but Henry broke his plays up the middle when Rich East walled us off with some good blocking."
In the third quarter, the Warriors also received a score from Spicer. The sophomore tailback rambled 34 yards for a score. "This was a big win for us," Spicer said. "Rich East beat us last season, and they are a rival."
It was also a big night for the Crete-Monee rushing offense. First, all six touchdowns came on the ground. Next, the Warriors ran for 302 yards behind the blocking of Matt Finnin, Brad Wiater, DeAngelo Chambers, Cody Hock, and Gary Nelson. Spicer led the attack with 133 yards on 22 totes. Scott added 63 on just three carries. Pierre ran for 57 yards on six carries and passed for 113 yards on seven completions. McElveen had three catches for 45 yards, while Trudo had two grabs for 41 yards.
While the victory was sweet, it is not the end of the line for the Warriors. "We have bigger and better things to do," Verde reminded his squad. "We have to be ready each week. Last year, Rich East beat us and then lost to Rich South. We cannot rest now."
On October 17, the Warriors will travel to Rich South. The Stars (4-3) are in a three-way tie with Kankakee and Rich East for second in the SICA South at 2-1. The Stars would like to drop the Warriors into the one-loss category also.
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