all goes according to plan

"Make no little plans," famously said the noted urban planner and architect Daniel Burnham.

The architect of Lemont's successful football program, head coach Eric Michaelsen, knows the virtues of having solid offensive and defensive game plans. Michaelsen said the planning on both sides of the line is why Lemont throttled Lincoln-Way North, 37-0, in the opening round of the Class 6A playoffs Oct. 30 at Lemont.

The reward for the 9-1 Indians is a 6 p.m., Nov. 7 second-round battle at home against 9-1 Morgan Park.

"It was a game where the kids came out and executed the game plan, offensively and defensively. Our offensive coordinator Brett Nelson had a great game plan and our defensive coordinator John Howell did a great job again," Michaelsen said.

Offensively, the Indians piled up 358 total yards, which included 138 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Danny Hayes and 101 yards and a 43-yard scoring run from Cody Kamberos.

Hayes ran for a 9-yard touchdown in the second quarter and finished Lemont's scoring with a 41-yard run in the fourth.

Kambero's touchdown put Lemont on the board with 5:20 remaining in the first period.

Using the air game more than usual, quarterback Kyle Cyr went 9 of 15 for 99 yards. He passed for two touchdowns including a 26-yard toss to Josh Ferry in the second quarter and a 14-yard strike to Lee Taylor in the third.

Also, Mike Orszulak contributed a 42-yard field goal to give the Indians an early 10-0 advantage in the first quarter.

Lemont's offensive firepower took place behind an offensive line which continues to mature after beginning the season with only one returning starter.

"They're real hard working, real blue collar," said Nelson of the offensive linemen. "We spend a lot of time working on fairly simple schemes, we rep and rep and they work hard."

Left guard Jim Purvin is the lone returning starter from last year. Left tackle Justin Schultz, center Zachary Howell, right guard Connor Riley, and right tackle Denis McAuliffe have gained their experience this year and may be peaking at exactly the right time.

"They're getting better, there's still room for improvement," Michaelsen said of the offensive line.

As for his plan against Lincoln-Way North, Nelson said, "It was a fun team to prepare for because they're a little different. They have an eight- or nine-man front like most teams we've seen, but they shade it a little, they're a little different."

Nelson said the plan called for Lemont to pass a little more than usual and to concentrate on blocking North's linebacker Mike Taylor, who "seems to be all over the field."

Meanwhile, it was another goose egg for Lemont's defense.

The shutout was the fifth of the season for the Indians and their fourth in the last five games. They held North to 146 yards of offense and only eight first downs.

Two turnovers forced by Lemont in the second quarter helped propel the Indians to a 24-0 halftime lead.

Linebacker Allan Wielgus recovered the loose ball that lineman Pat Driscoll had stripped loose from Phoenix running back Collin Hannigan. The fumble recovery set up Hayes' first touchdown run.

Later, sophomore linebacker Kyle Krull recovered a Phoenix fumble at the North 26-yard line.

"I saw it on the ground, so I grabbed it. I fell on the ball," Krull said.

One play later, the Cyr-Ferry connection gave the Indians their 24-0 lead at the intermission.

Driscoll and Angel Cabral were again formidable playing in Howell's three-man defensive front line. The Indians' four linebackers were frequently blitzing the Phoenix, applying constant pressure.

"It starts with the coaching," said Driscoll, who is a three-year defensive veteran. "They push us hard every week. We work as a unit, we're all working together to achieve what we want every game which is a shutout."

As for Lemont's quest for a championship after two successive trips to the state title game, Driscoll expressed confidence.

"I think we have a good chance if we continue to do what we've been doing, playing good defense. We definitely think we can do it," Driscoll said.

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