Gardner runs past Bloom

Updated: August 27, 2011 6:59PM

As Thornwood football coach Will Milhouse tries to return the Thunderbirds to the playoffs for the first time since 2001, he knows there is one player he can always count on, senior tailback Raheem Gardner.

“Raheem has been 100 percent class,” said Milhouse, who led Thornwood to four wins last season, the first time the program has won more than twice since the 2001 playoff run. “He’s worked hard. He’s never going to be the one to let you down. He’s a super senior.”

Gardner certainly didn’t let Milhouse down during Saturday’s season-opening 28-14 win at Bloom. Gardner scored the first three touchdowns of the game, a 75-yarder in the first quarter and 29- and 2-yarders in the third quarter. He wound up rushing for 148 yards on 14 carries in the win.

“I got a good block from my guard and I kept my feet churning,” Gardner said of his 75-yard jaunt that saw him get stacked up at the line but break free and outrun the defenders to the house. “I felt the presence (of the defenders), I just had to keep running and keep my feet up. Big plays really played a part early on. I was able to get a couple of big runs.”

Both teams were sloppy early on until Gardner broke free with 2:19 left in the first to give the Thunderbirds an 8-0 lead that stood until the half. In the third, Gardner took the first carry after Bloom quarterback LaVante Blackful lost a fumble 29 yards to open the lead to 14-0 in the third quarter. His two-yard plunge on a fourth-down play with 5:53 left in the third essentially put the game out of reach.

Tommy Wilson tacked on a 23-yard score in the fourth for Thornwood. Bloom scored twice in the fourth, the first coming on a 52-yard fumble return from Jalen Thomas. Blackful then connected with Jason Mendez for a 45-yard touchdown late. Mendez caught nine passes for 125 yards from Blackful.

While happy with the win, Milhouse still saw room for improvement heading into Friday’s game at Rich South.

“This is the senior class that I first started with,” Milhouse said. “We’re at a point now that we should be on a higher level than where we are. I don’t care about the heat. That’s a bunch of bull. It’s hot for everyone. We expect better of our guys than how we played.”

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.