SouthtownStar football notebook

It had been a while since Eisenhower experienced the joy of victory.

After an 0-9 campaign in 2009, the Cardinals dropped their 2010 season-opener to Rich East 14-7. Eisenhower, however, rebounded Friday against Chicago Christian, registering a 23-14 victory.

"I didn't know whether to jump up and cheer or shed some tears," Cardinals coach Travis Moore said. "So I did a little of both."

Moore praised the offensive line, especially sophomores Jesse Gonzales, Sicory Walker and Deon Wells.

"The entire O-line played well," Moore said. "We have three sophomores up and all three start on the line."

After watching Chicago Christian quarterback Jason VanderLaan pick apart the Cards early on, Moore asked Gonzales if he could log some double duty at defensive end. Gonzales responded by knocking VanderLaan out of the game with a crunching hit.

"We needed to put some pressure on their quarterback, and when I asked if anyone could do it, Jesse said he could," Moore said. "On his third play he knocked the kid out of the game."

Moore also credited defensive tackle Dyshun Hargrays, running back A.J. Bridges, quarterback Justin Geiter, linebacker Brian Dubois and kickoff return man Chris Allen with outstanding performances.

"We ran the ball effectively and Justin did a nice job managing the clock," Moore said. "We started the game with a nine-minute drive and ended it with an eight-minute drive."

Bulldogs still optimistic

Richards coach Tony Sheehan would have preferred to walk off Gary Korhonen Field with a victory Friday against Lockport. Still, the third-year Bulldogs coach remained pleased with his team's effort, despite the 28-21 setback.

"My kids played their butts off," Sheehan said. "We battled them. We made some mistakes that led to them scoring a few touchdowns. But I'll take my guys. We're excited about the season."

What made Sheehan even more excited was how the Bulldogs battled without the services of three starters.

Running back Chris Elliott (neck), linebacker Kamal Kamorudeen (knee) and wide receiver Davonta Corner (unspecified) all were sidelined. Elliott and Kamorudeen likely are lost for the season after suffering injuries Week 1 against Harlan. Corner should be back Friday.

"Those are three very good players, but that's not an excuse," Sheehan said. "We had some kids step up and show a lot of heart. We're going to be fine."

North on a roll

Lincoln-Way North is off to a 2-0 start, which doesn't really surprise coach George Czart.

"We have a nice well-rounded team," he said. "But I think the biggest difference is our offense. It's so far ahead of last year."

The Phoenix has some firepower. Quarterback Jack Irace, wingbacks Bo Benicac and Colin Hannigan, fullback Tyler Willig and receiver Nolan Gonciarczyk provide the offense with big-play options.

Lincoln-Way Central found that out in Week 1 during North's 31-13 victory. And while the offense struggled against Hillcrest in Week 2, it did have the means to rally from a 12-0 deficit to post a 13-12 victory on the road.

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