Time for Lemont's other stars to shine

Lemont running back Danny Hayes breaks through the Lincoln-Way North defense to score a touchdown during a 37-0 win in Friday's Class 6A first-round playoff game. john Patsch/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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LEMONT -- The young man who rarely ran the ball during the regular season seized an opportunity to step into the spotlight.

And the wide receiver who spent nine weeks on the sidelines returned just on time to mark his mark in the postseason.

Cody Kamberos ran for 101 yards on 5 carries and scored a touchdown in Lemont's 37-0 victory over Lincoln-Way North in the opening round of the 6A playoffs on Friday night. Lee Taylor caught 5 passes for 56 yards, including a 14-yard TD grab.

He practiced all season -- but didn't play a down because of injuries and personal issues.

Kamberos and Taylor provided an offensive spark for a Lemont team that has relied on its suffocating defense. And the Indians used a fierce rush from their front seven to stifle Lincoln-Way North from the get-go and to post their fourth shutout in five games.

North (6-4) was limited to 8 first downs and 146 yards total offense. The Phoenix coughed the ball up twice in the second quarter, and Lemont turned both turnovers into touchdowns in building a 24-0 lead.

The Indians (9-1) advance to next week's second round against Morgan Park or Quincy. The two play at 4 p.m. today at Gately Stadium in Chicago.

"You know, it was a game where the kids came out and executed the game plan," Lemont coach Eric Michaelsen said. "I thought our kids played hard. Our offensive coordinator, Brett Nelson, had a great game plan. Defensive coordinator John Howell did a great job again.

"The kids are working hard. Even though it's this late in the season, we're working to improve. And we still have areas where we need to improve."

Kamberos is the senior fullback who did much of the dirty work up to now. His primary role was that of a lead blocker for tailback Danny Hayes.

He stepped into a "featured back" position because North was stacking its defense to stop Hayes. And Kamberos stepped up his game, too.

He scored on 43-yard burst up the middle to give the Indians a 7-0 lead with 5:20 remaining in the first quarter. His run capped a nine-play, 90-yard drive.

"It was pretty fun," Kamberos said. "The linemen blocked very well. I've had a lot of headaches up to now. This makes up for it. It was nice running the ball."

"Cody (Kamberos) is a hard-nosed kid," Michaelsen said. "It's his first year starting up here on the varsity. He does a nice job blocking. It's kind of a thankless job sometimes. But we have a lot of faith in his ability to run straight ahead and get good yardage and make some moves.

"We're real happy with his performance. He scored that first touchdown. And he got us some good field position a couple of other times."

The Indians also gained field position from their defense.

After Mike Orszulak's 42-yard field goal extended their lead to 10-0, Pat Driscoll stripped the ball from North's Tait Erikson. Allan Wielgus recovered the fumble at the Phoenix 49. Hayes scored on a 9-yard touchdown run to make it 17-0, his second effort making a play that looked to be doomed go on a fourth-down situation.

Moments later, Lemont struck again after Kyle Krull's fumble recovery at the North 26. Kyle Cyr connected on a 26-yard scoring strike to Josh Ferry. Cyr went on to complete 9-of-15 for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns.

He hooked up in the second half with Taylor, the junior who on a couple of occasions lined up in the slot next to his younger brother, LeMarr.

"Lee Taylor has been practicing with us," Michaelsen said. "He had some injury issues. He's been practicing with all season, making our defense better. Now is his opportunity to step up and play. He's a talent."

Lemont finished with 358 yards total offense, 259 on the ground.

Hayes led all ballcarriers with 138 yards on 26 carries. He bolted 41 yards for a touchdown with 9:14 left to complete the scoring. Krull and Mike Jaeger each finished with 5 tackles.

Jack Irace rushed for 39 yards to top the Phoenix. Erikson was pressured into a 1-for-6 passing performance, his one completion going for no gain.

"Oh, it's a great feeling," Krull said. "We've been working all season for this. And it's finally starting to pay off. It's been one of my dreams to get into the playoffs. We're trying to go downstate again."

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