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Blue Demons preparing to enter CSL North action
Evanston's Xavier Levy (2) runs against Maine East during their football game Friday night, Sept. 9th. | Dan Luedert~Sun-Times Media
Updated: September 14, 2011 10:18AM
Maine East football coach Gabe Corey may have been discouraged to see former Blue Demons star Xavier Levy lining up for Evanston in the Wildkits’ 44-0 win Friday in Park Ridge.
But the Maine East coach continues to be encouraged by the progress his young team is making.
That may not be reflected in the scores — the Wildkits had lost 35-0 to Amundsen in Week 2 — but Corey insists his Demons (0-3) are moving forward.
“There are not many times you can walk away from a 44-0 loss with a lot of positives. But there were a few situations here or there, especially in the first quarter, where we held them to three points on the first drive. Then, we moved the ball well,” the coach said.
Corey said his team, with just eight seniors, simply lacks experience and a winning edge.
“If we could have bagged one of the first two games, we would have come in with a little bit of a winning attitude, which helps. But it will come for us,” he said.
One thing the Blue Demons do not lack, according to their coach, is commitment.
“The majority of the team I believe still feels good about what we’re doing right now,” Corey said. “The kids’ heart, their drive, their passion, it’s all in the right place. It still matters to them. They are giving me everything they have.”
Maine East simply had few answers for Evanston’s many weapons, which included Levy (2 catches, 49 yards) who transferred to the school last winter. The Wildkits (2-1) were led by running back Ray Bahr, who scored three first-half touchdowns, two on the ground and one in the air.
“Evanston is an athletic club,” Corey said. “When they have that much speed and you have to defend the whole field ... we had some breakdowns and it cost us.”
Among the positives for Maine East was the running of sophomore fullback Javed Lukovic, who bruised his way to 26 yards on six carries. Sophomore Alex Corey clicked off a 20-yard run in the first half.
On Maine East’s final drive, a 16-yard run by junior Gabe Corey and a 25-yard completion from senior quarterback George Zakaria to junior Jalen Lewis brought the Demons down to the Evanston 4-yard line before turning the ball over.
Defensively, Zakaria at free safety and junior Mike Kuzebski had solid games. Kuzebski delivered the hit of the night in the third quarter on Evanston running back Randy Pryor.
Maine East sophomore Christian Lopez had a nifty third-quarter kickoff return.
Corey insists the nonconference season is simply an opportunity for his team to prepare for CSL North play. The six members have a combined 2-16 record through three weeks.
“I look at the four nonconference games like our exhibition season. The five that count are when we get to conference,” Corey said. “If we can get everything going in the right direction, clean some things up ... . The conference is up for grabs right now, everybody is struggling this year. The two crossovers (against Evanston and Glenbrook South) are going to make us better.”
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