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Lemont blanks Bremen
Updated: October 1, 2011 12:10AM
For a half, Bremen hung in against Lemont. That the Braves and Indians were scoreless in a battle of unbeaten teams after 24 minutes was, in a way, a victory for Bremen, which has a smaller roster, and, to the naked eye, smaller players.
Then came the second half, and Lemont’s luxury of not needing to play anyone on each side of the ball, compared to Bremen’s six two-way players, helped determine the different in its 21-0 victory over Bremen before about 1,000 fans in Midlothian.
The outcome raised Lemont to 6-0, 3-0 in the South Suburban Blue, and locked in a playoff spot for the eighth straight season. Bremen dropped to 5-1, 2-1.
“We knew it was going to be a game,” Lemont coach Eric Michelson said. “Their having more kids going both ways than we do might have had a difference.”
Lemont’s beefy offensive line, led by 6-foot-6, 285-pound Ethan Pocic, eventually opened the holes Mike Anzalone (24 carries, 183 yards) and Christos Giatras (11 carries, 30 yards) needed to turn the tide. Anzalone scored Lemont’s first touchdown, Giatras the last two.
“The first half, their penetration up the middle was messing us up,” Pocic said. “Once we fixed that, we started playing Lemont smash-mouth football.”
It worked to perfection starting with Tyler Jay’s 40-yard punt return early in the second half. Anzalone bolted for 17 yards, then four more, then scored from the 5. He picked up 26 and 50 yard gains later in the half.
“The offensive line came up huge and my fullbacks (including Giatras) made a lot of great blocks,” Anzalone said. “Ethan Pocic’s a great player.”
Giatras scored from the 2-yard line with 1:27 left in the third, on the second play following the first of Bremen’s two turnovers on as many snaps, and added another 2-yard touchdown with 1:47 left in the game, capping a 91-yard drive. Lemont outgained Bremen 244-178, with a 206-30 rushing advantage.
All is not lost for Bremen.
“They’ve got some horses up front,” Braves coach Dan Stell said. “The ability to two-platoon is an asset, but I wouldn’t trade our kids for anyone. I told ‘em to keep their heads up. Lemont’s a well-respected program and is going to go far. We may see them again.”
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