Lincoln-Way North making progress

Lincoln-Way North coach George Czart may not be pleased with his team's 0-4 start, but he's more than pleased with his team's work ethic and how the Phoenix have remained upbeat through some difficult losses.

"I'm very happy with how hard the kids work and their attitude," said Czart, a former assistant coach at Lockport and Providence Catholic. "People ask me all of the time if I'm OK. I tell them I'm fine. The kids are making progress and we have a very exciting future."

As if it's not enough of a challenge to compete with a varsity team consisting of all juniors and sophomores, the dreaded injury bug has made its way into the first-year program. As many as eight players will be absent from Friday's home game against Homewood-Flossmoor.

Two-way starters Mike Taylor and Jake Gerlach are the most notable starters out, but junior quarterback Tait Erikson also could be on the sideline with turf toe.

The injuries have provided an opportunity for others to step up. Sophomores Brian Wolfe, who returned a fumble for a touchdown against Bolingbrook, Bo Beniac and Jake Harper have filled in admirably. Junior Ryne Lyson has been a consistent force in the secondary.

"We don't have enough kids to platoon, so they're getting a lot of experience," Czart said. "The kids are learning and they're seeing what it's like and what it takes to be a top program."

What a finish for Eagles

Those fickle Eagles fans who departed Tom Seliga Field midway through the fourth quarter of last week's game between Andrew and Sandburg missed one of the most exciting finishes in recent memory.

The Eagles trailed 10-3 midway through the fourth quarter before rallying for an exciting 33-27 triple-overtime win.

"When we went three-and-out in the fourth quarter and we were down 10-3, some people left," said Sandburg coach Dave Wierzal, whose Eagles improved to 3-1. "They missed a great finish."

Except if you were an Andrew fan.

Sandburg registered 340 yards of offense, led by fullback Brent Kondziolka's 110 yards rushing and quarterback Brian Hansen's 167 yards passing. Receiver Tony Stramaglia, who sat out Week 3, caught seven passes for 78 yards.

"I'm proud of the way Tony came back," Wierzal said. "This was his best game. Brent ran the ball hard, and Brian hit some big passes. I felt like we really moved the ball well and controlled the clock. The strange thing was, we had scored only three points midway through the fourth quarter."

And what does it say about the Eagles, who have registered two overtime wins?

"It says that these kids don't go down easy," said Wierzal, whose Eagles defeated Lyons Township 17-14 in a Week 1 OT thriller. "These kids really have great character."

St. Rita flaunts its stuff

It was quite a weekend for St. Rita.

First, the varsity thoroughly defeated Mount Carmel 35-21 before a throng of spectators.

Then on Saturday, the Mustangs' freshman team walloped the Caravan 49-14.

The icing on the cake was a celebration that evening for long-time freshman coaches Jack Quinn and Gene Schaller.

"It was a great weekend," said St. Rita coach Todd Kuska, despite the sophomore team falling to the Caravan in overtime. "A lot of good things happened."

That's an understatement.

If there were skeptics prior to Friday's game, quarterback Larry Garrett, a Tinley Park resident, certainly made believers of them after his 8-of-13, 145-yard performance.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior made excellent decisions and exhibited a gun of an arm.

"We worked a lot on our passing during practice last week," Kuska said. "We thought they (Mount Carmel) had a couple of young guys in their secondary. We have good athletes at wide receiver and Larry can throw the ball. He's getting better and better."

So is the offensive line, which was a concern entering the season.

"The O-line was inexperienced but it's Week 5 now and they're getting better," Kuska said. "That just comes with experience."

Pat Disabato can be reached at pdisabato@southtownstar.com or (708) 802-8837.