Lemont runs over Richards

Sometimes, it takes your teammates to keep you going forward after a bad break.

Lemont’s Mike Aznalone discovered that Friday night.

The senior was down in the dumps after muffing a punt late in the first half, and while that didn’t cost the Indians any points, it didn’t allow them to expand their lead on Richards, either.

“It was awesome,” Anzalone said of how his teammates rallied around him.

So was his offensive line in the second half. Anzalone scored sixth-ranked Lemont’s last two touchdowns in its 28-6 victory over Richards before about 1,700 fans in Lemont. He piled up 158 yards on 22 carries, scoring from the 16 and the 31 just over two minutes apart in the fourth quarter.

The Indians (3-0) took charge in the second half, partly because of an adjusted blocking scheme, partly because they went after Richards quarterback Tommy Mister, who suddenly discovered he was a sophomore. He was sacked four times after the intermission and lost 32 yards across six carries. That, in contrast to a first half where Mister ran for 88 yards, including a 46-yard gambol that keyed the Bulldogs’ scoring drive. It ended with Marcus Smith breaking two tackles on a 7-yard touchdown run.

“He got beat up tonight, but we’re going to ride him,” Richards coach Tony Sheehan said. “They were mixing fronts and coverages on him.”

Smith’s touchdown was matched by Lemont with Damon Aleman’s 79-yard touchdown strike to Joe Hehir with 1:06 left in the half. Josh Young’s point-after gave Lemont a 7-6 halftime lead. But even after Aleman (4-of-10, 144 yards) hit LaMarr Taylor for a 28-yard score and 14-6 lead with four minutes left in the third, the Indians weren’t in the clear.

It was then their defense stepped up the pressure on Mister.

“That was the goal,” Lemont coach Eric Michaelson said. “In the second half, we did a better job tackling him.”

For Richards (1-2), the loss was the second in as many weeks and third in succession to Lemont over the past four years.

“This loss is on me,” Sheehan said. “Lemont, they do what they do, and do it well. They’re in the right position all the time.”

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