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Jarosz, Prospect grind out win against Hoffman Estates

After a demoralizing loss one week earlier in the final 74 seconds, Prospect's football team stayed grounded Friday night - literally.

The Knights passed their first home test without completing a pass (they only threw three) and survived a pesky visiting team Hoffman Estates 14-7 at George Gattas Memorial Stadium in Mt. Prospect.

All of Prospect's yards came on the ground, led by senior running back Bobby Jarosz' career game of 202 yards from 23 carries.

"We had that (tough loss at Jacobs) experience last week," Jarosz said. "But all we talked about was not letting anything bring us down. We were not going to regress, only progress."

All the scoring on Friday came in the final minute of the first three quarters.

Jarosz ran for a 22-yard TD with 58.1 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Hoffman senior running back Chady Bitre, who rushed for 114 yards, scored on a 1-yard run with 54.3 seconds left in the first half to tie the game at 7-7.

Finally, Prospect QB Matt Drew sneaked in from 1-yard out with 27.5 seconds left in the third quarter for the TD which proved to be the difference.

The sneak capped a 98-yard drive which was aided by a 'roughing the punter' penalty called while Anthony Liva was punting from his own end zone.

Jarosz, Drew (40 yards) and Andrew Shafis (59 yards) did all their running behind linemen Luke Wrede, Matt Schultz, Wojtek Koziol, Ray Beyer and Bill Matzek.

"That's our offense - it's all based on the line," Jarosz said. "I just run forward, and hard. I love those guys like my brothers. I can't do anything without them. I owe all my touchdown and yards to them."

Prospect coach Mike Sebestyen also paid complements to the big guys up front.

"The offensive line played together as a group and so hard for the whole 48 minutes," he said. "And what's scary is that three or four of them play on defense, too."

The Knights' defense actually came up with the team's only reception when Shafis made the big interception at the Prospect 30-yard line with 4:18 left.

But just when it looked like the home team would then run out the clock, Hoffmans's La'Mere Barnes recovered a fumble at the Knights' 48 with 1:16 left.

Hoffman drove as far as the Prospect 16-yard line.

But a holding penalty, one of four by the Hawks in the final quarter, moved the ball back to the 30-yard line.

With 17 seconds left and fourth-and-3, Hoffman went for the end zone but defensive back Drew Compton broke up the pass and Prospect had sealed its 1-1 record.

"Our defense played unbelievably," Sebestyen said. "Shafis had the great pick, Drew Compton made some really nice plays at safety and Joey Siracusa played his tail off at linebacker while he is playing tight end as well.

"Sam Lumia and Zack Koplack (linebackers both under 180 pounds) were up against big kids and they continued to stay low and play hard. I'm just really proud of the way our players continued to fight and battle."

Hoffman (1-1) kept fighting despite the penalties which stalled a solid drive from its own 18 before Shafis' big interception.

"There's nothing we can do about those than learn from it," said Hoffman coach Mike Donatucci. "We've got to be hungry. Prospect was hungry. They played hard. They used their talent to the best of their ability and were successful. It's disheartening for us. We did not play up to our potential."

Throwing behind linemen Ryan Davalos, Zackery Clark, Nathan Edwards, Jorge Morales and Jemarhriez Daniels, Hawks QB Keegan Pierce completed 8 passes for 79 yards. His biggest may have been a 22-yarder to 6-foot-6 Brandon Hall on the Hawks' final possession.

"Mike Donatucci is a Hall of Fame football coach and it showed," Sebestyen said. "It showed how they kept adjusting to what we were doing and their kids played their tails off."

"You're seeing a really very good football program at Hoffman and how quickly they've come alive the last four years. It's really fun to watch that team play. You see them on film and you're like that's a football team that's battles its tail off. You want to play those type of games. This was fun tonight."

And not completing a pass hardly took any fun out of it.

"If we win, I really don't care if we complete a pass or not," Sebestyen said. "I did joke at the beginning of the season that I'm going to throw the ball about three times all season. Well, we threw six times last week, so technically I used my allotment. Maybe that's what it came down to."

On the serious side, Sebestyen credited Hoffman.

"They did a very good job covering up (on the pass)," he said. "So give them credit. I thought they played really well defensively on the perimeter and forced us to do things inside."

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