ETHS closed out its season by beating Glenbrook North at home 21-7 on senior night. The win was the Kits’ second straight after defeating Deerfield 31-0 last Friday night—a noticeable improvement after their six-game winless streak earlier in the season.
“Obviously, the way we ended our season feels great for our seniors. It’s great that they had success in their last game together,” said Head Coach Miles Osei.
The Kits’ intention to make the seniors’ final game a memorable one was clear from the start. After forcing the Spartans to punt, the Kits got the ball into the hands of their go-to playmaker, junior Justin Johnson. Johnson scurried 36 yards down the sideline, breaking multiple tackles and diving into the end zone to give the Kits an early 7-0 lead. Neither team was able to get much going offensively for the rest of the first quarter.
The Kits opened the second quarter with a fumble from Johnson before the Spartans responded with a turnover of their own, as senior punter Jonah Kleiman fumbled the ball, setting the Kits’ offense up at the GBN 19-yard line. However, they were unable to capitalize on the turnover. The offense stalled out due to a holding call, and senior kicker Jasper Barney was unable to connect on a 41-yard field goal.
The Kits had one more chance to extend the lead before halftime, as a two-minute drill got the ball inside the Spartans’ 35-yard line, but sophomore quarterback TJ Grant threw an interception to end the half.
Heading into the second half, there was a nervous energy among Kits fans inside Lazier Field. ETHS was only up by seven against a team ranked over a hundred places lower than them, according to MaxPreps. Johnson was able to settle some of those nerves with his second touchdown of the game—this time on a 34-yard run out of the Wildcat formation. His score capped off an efficient 85-yard, three-minute drive to start the third quarter.
After the teams exchanged punts, senior linebacker Cash Nelson intercepted Spartans quarterback Max Wolas, giving ETHS the ball at the GBN 25-yard line. This time, senior running back Tyree Inniss was able to take advantage of the turnover, finding the end zone to make it 21-0 in the waning minutes of the third quarter.
Although Wolas connected with senior James Mathew for a late consolation touchdown, the Spartans never looked like coming back, thanks to the Kits’ formidable pass rush, which recorded seven sacks and forced numerous incompletions.
“I think the pass rush has been a bright spot for us all season long, so I’m not surprised that they stepped up tonight to close the game out,” commented Osei.
While the Kits prevailed on the scoreboard, Osei does not believe they played to their full potential, as they fumbled more times than they completed a pass.
“I thought that we played at a D-plus tonight because there were way too many penalties and mistakes. That being said, it’s fun to imagine what us playing at an A or B might look like,” noted Osei.
The win means that the Kits finish with a 3-6 record—the same record as in each of the past two campaigns.
“It’s important to understand that good football programs are built in the offseason. When we commit to that, we can develop into a much more polished program. Every single player in our program needs to put in the work for us to make any progress,” explained Osei.
