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Football: Richmond-Burton edges out Evergreen Park
Mary Beth Nolan~For Sun-Times Media
Updated: November 12, 2011 8:50PM
Taking the field, Jack Dechow and his Richmond-Burton teammates don’t hide anything about their offensive game plan.
The Rockets are going to run, run and run some more.
Playing at Evergreen Park Saturday in the Class 4A quarterfinals, the ground game was held in relative check, but an early score held up as Richmond-Burton prevailed 7-0.
“A victory is a victory no matter how you put it,” Dechow said. “It feels good to be in the semifinals. We just need to stay strong like we’ve been playing. It comes down to us. We’ve got to get it done.”
Dechow finished with 123 rushing yards on 20 carries for Richmond-Burton (11-1) with Brett Okane running for 111 yards on 15 carries.
Brandon White completed 6 of 13 passes for 74 yards for Evergreen Park (8-4) while adding 39 rushing yards on five carries. The Mustangs ran for 42 yards as a team.
After recovering an Evergreen fumble early in the first quarter, Richmond-Burton took advantage of the field position handed to the Rockets. Running straight up the middle and avoiding one tackle, Dechow scored on a 21-yard run.
“If defenses are going to key on me, that opens things up for everyone else,” Dechow said. “It’s a win-win for us.”
The Richmond-Burton defense never allowed Evergreen to gain any offensive momentum, the Mustangs unable to sustain a long drive. With less than six minutes to go in the fourth, Evergreen went three-and-out and was forced to punt from its own 11-yard line.
Dechow and quarterback Matt Malecki were able to kill the clock, Malecki getting a huge first down with 1:21 to go in the game.
For Evergreen Park, it was the program’s first appearance in the quarterfinals since 1998.
“We’re obviously really proud of the kids,” Evergreen Park coach Dan Hartman said. “We didn’t anticipate making it this far. Being my first year (coaching at Evergreen), this will be a group I never forget. It’s a shame it had to end like it did tonight.”
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