Thornton tops Andrew in OT

After Thornton quarterback Charles Knowles was sidelined in the second

quarter with an injury to his right shoulder, Dimitrius Hardwick and Damien

Bell knew they had to step up big-time, handle the pressure of the moment

and begin to execute big plays. They proceeded to do all of those things.

"It was my time. I had to motivate my team. I had to be a playmaker. He

(Knowles) is a great player. I had to be a great player, too," said

Hardwick, who started at quarterback last year but moved to wide receiver to

make way for Knowles this season.

Hardwick scored two touchdowns and Bell rushed 24 times for 183 yards

and two touchdowns as Thornton (3-0, 1-0) rallied to edge Andrew 27-24 in

overtime in a Southwest Suburban Red opener on Saturday in Harvey.

Bell, who is listed at 5-9 and 175 pounds but admits to 5-7 and 165,

scored the last two times he handled the ball -on a 42-yarder to give

Thornton a 21-14 lead with 3:13 left and a 10-yard game-winner on the

Wildcats' first snap in overtime.

"It was crunch time, now or never," Bell said. "The winning play was 31

zone, off tackle (behind Steven Taylor and Kaiwaun Martin). I love to run

off tackle. It was time to step up and be a leader."

Andrew (1-2, 0-1) was led by quarterback Kevin O'Neill (13 of 20, 142

yards), who scored two touchdowns and passed for another. His nine-yard pass

to Alex Zappavignia on fourth-and-six set up his one-yard scoring sneak that

forced a tie at 21 with 19.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

The Thunderbolts got first possession in overtime and went ahead on

Kevin Hennington's 35-yard field goal. But Thornton won on Bell's run. In

three games, he has averaged 7.8 yards per carry, rushing 68 times for 529

yards and six touchdowns. "I play bigger than I am," he said.

"This one was for all the naysayers," Thornton coach Bill Mosel said.

"Our defense has been overlooked but it came up big today. I've said all

along that Bell is as good a running back as any around. He is tough,

shifty, determined and hard-nosed. What else is there?"

Hardwick is aware that Knowles likely will return next week. But he

rushed for 84 yards and passed for 47 when Mosel called upon him. "As long

as I can help the team, I'll play any position, even kicker. I didn't feel

any pressure. It was my time and I just stepped up," he said.

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