advertisement

Fremd powers up again at Wheeling

Last week Fremd rushed for a school-record 556 yards against Rolling Meadows.

The Vikings kept rolling on Thursday.

Fremd (2-1) picked up where it left off, rushing for 381 yard en route to a 49-0 Mid-Suburban crossover victory over host Wheeling.

The visitors jumped out to a 35-0 halftime advantage, started the running clock midway through the third quarter and emptied the bench in the final quarter wearing down the Wheeling attack.

“We wanted to get off to a good start,” said Fremd coach Lou Sponsel of the punishing Viking attack. “We've been working hard and it carried over into the game. We just want to keep improving.”

Senior quarterback Sam Beutler was once again pulling the strings for the Vikings' attack.

Beutler rushed for 67 yards on 10 carries, scoring the first touchdown on 3 yard run.

The Viking senior also completed 5-of-6 passes for 112 yards, including 3 touchdowns.

Fremd's offensive line once again did the heavy lifting, with junior Ryan Comstock, senior Brad Ruehrdanz, junior Jake Plantz, senior Kyle Gregory, senior Scott Hoffman, senior Clayton Dukewich, junior Dominic Lombard and junior Jack Albrecht paving the way for a parade of Vikings runners.

“That's what we practiced all week,” said Ruehrdanz of the Vikings' ground game that rushed for 253 yards in the first half in taking control of the game. “We wanted to out physical them. We have so much size up front; our goal is to wear teams down.”

That is exactly what the Vikings did as junior Nathan Notaro added a 36-yard score with 3:01 remaining in the first quarter to extend the lead to 14-0.

Beutler then took to the air, opening the second quarter with a 62-scoring toss to senior Anthony Halvorsen (2 catches, 84 yards).

Halvorsen added a 22-yard scoring catch from Beutler on Fremd's next possession, and Cam Parker ended the half with a 9-yard TD reception.

“Sammy (Beutler) is the key for us,” said Ruehrdanz of the four-year senior starter. “He's one of the best athletes we have. He can run, and he can pass. He's a real duel threat.”

The Vikings' defense did its part limiting Wheeling (0-3) to 24 total yards in the first half, and 120 total yards for the game.

Senior John Magnani, junior William Manner, and junior Dylan Hynds kept the pressure on Wheeling junior quarterback Amani Dennis (4-for-9, 29 yards).

Senior Jeff McGlade rushed for 93 yards, and Senior Garrett Groot (6 carries, 40 yards) added a 1-yard score in the third quarter.

Senior Daniel Montgomery added the final score on a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter and senior Andrew Stark continued his flawless kicking to complete a dominant performance by Fremd.

“We expect to keep pounding it,” said Ruehrdanz. “I'm proud of how we played up front, but we just have to keep improving.”

Junior Steve Montesinos rushed for 52 yards on Wheeling's final drive.

“I'm failing right now in communicating and stressing the need to fight and compete on every play,” said Wheeling coach Brent Pearlman. “We need to go back and continue to practice hard.”

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.