2009 Varsity Football Team
St. Patrick 'D' stands tall vs. Pirates
St. Patrick knew heading into Saturday’s game at Proviso East that putting pressure on Pirates quarterback William Crowder and limiting the touches of two-way stars Corey Cooper and Antoine Lewis were absolute musts if it wanted to win.
So the Shamrocks used a variety of defensive looks – including using only one down lineman at times – and kicked it away from both Cooper and Lewis on special teams. In the end, it paid off with a 22-15 victory.
“All their guys are quick,’’ said senior Matt Dawson, who finished with two sacks and five tackles. “We had to bring the pressure from outside and force them into our [defensive] tackles. It worked out.’’
St. Patrick forced Crowder (9-for-24, 64 yards) out of the pocket often, limited Cooper (an Illinois recruit) to seven offensive touches and forced three turnovers. Defensive backs Kevin Larsen and Sean Timothy each had interceptions and junior defensive lineman Carlos Martinez recovered a fumble.
“Our defense played to the best of our ability,” said 6-3, 245-pound defensive tackle Sam Legg, who had five tackles and consistently provided an interior rush throughout the game. “We’re not going to let up. Our defense is just going to get better."
The Shamrocks, though, still needed some late heroics from quarterback Victor Balundis to pull out the win. The senior, who is splitting time with junior Keith Borum, completed 8 of 11 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
Balundis’ second touchdown pass, a 35-yarder to Dennis Lemke, gave the Shamrocks the lead for good, erasing a 15-14 deficit with 5:25 remaining. Ruben Ibarra, who had a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, ran in the two-point conversion for the final margin.
The winning pass also took the momentum away from the Pirates, who took advantage of four fumbles lost by the Shamrocks and a big interception by Lewis to take a 15-14 lead into the fourth.
Down 14-7 late in the third, Lewis, a corner committed to Minnesota, intercepted Balundis and returned it for a touchdown. A botched extra-point snap led to Darvis Pridgeon’s two-point conversion run and the one-point Pirates’ lead. Lewis earlier had given the Pirates a 7-0 lead in the first quarter with a 15-yard touchdown reception.
But the Shamrocks – led by their defense which limited Proviso East to 126 yards of total offense – responded every time.
“We came back and held strong,’’ Balundis said. “We have a strong team. In the fourth quarter, we came together.’’
Shamrocks running back Shadale Mandeldove finished with 132 yards rushing on 23 carries and 39 yards receiving on six receptions, including Balundis’ first touchdown on a swing pass in the second quarter.
ajahns@suntimes.com
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