Hersey puts its all together against Prospect
Hersey used some strong senior defensive leadership and some youthful exuberance on offense in its 21-7 win over Prospect on Friday night in Arlington Heights.
Senior linebacker Nate Lebherz and sophomore quarterback/running back Owen Goldsberry were key factors in the Mid-Suburban East opener for both teams.
"Our defense has just been getting better and better every week," said Hersey coach Joe Pardun. "The coaches have been working hard in improving the defense. Owen and Tommy (Jackson) give us different things at quarterback. Owen had a great night for us."
The Huskies (2-3, 1-0) had a tough job facing them in Prospect standout running back Bobby Jarosz. Hersey's defense was up to the task in limiting the talented senior to 90 yards in 18 attempts, with his biggest gain of 23 yards coming late in the game.
"We knew that Jarosz was a good runner," said Lebherz. "We had watched film on him and knew he was good. Our defensive line did a great job in allowing the linebackers the chance to fly around and make the plays. The coaches have stressed to us to rally 'round the ball. That's what we did today. We just played with a lot of confidence."
"There's a reason why Lebherz is at middle linebacker,," said Pardun. "He's always prepared and he know where everyone on the field should be."
Buzz Lindgren, Teddy Fotos, Will Nicholson, Gibby Eshoo and Joey Desmond also played key roles in limiting the Knights' potent rushing game to 219 of their 245 yards.
Goldsberry scored twice in the first quarter to give the Huskies a 14-0 lead.
Goldsberry finished off an 11-play, 65-yard drive after the opening kickoff to score from the 24 with 8:06 left.
A fumble recovery by Lebherz at the Knights' 15 led to Goldsberry's two yard run with :13 left in the quarter.
The Knights (1-4, 0-1) hurt their offensive chances by turning the ball over three times in the first half.
Prospect pulled to within 14-7 with 7:27 left in the game on quarterback Matt Drew's 13-yard touchdown pass to Dante Cecala.
Hersey countered with a 1-yard run by Kamil Jackowski with 3:04 left to seal the game.
Goldsberry completed a 23-yard pass, his only completion, to Luke Cecala and sprinted 22 yards to get a first down to the Prospect 21.
"The offensive line did a great job in being able to make the plays," said Goldsberry. "It came down to team play and being able to execute. Our receivers did a real good job in blocking down field so we could get yards on our cutbacks. This was a big game for us. We need to build on it."
Hersey lost offensive lineman Luke Schmiederer to a left ankle injury but Sean Johlie stepped in to play well with Spencer Krueger, Jack Steines, Clayton Smith, and Mitch Carlise.
Hersey rushed for 218 yards with Goldsberry gaining 108 yards on 17 trips. Hersey finished with 282 yards to the Knights 245.
"We know that every week in the East is going to be a battle," said Pardun.
"We played good in spots and not well in others," said Prospect coach Mike Sebestyen. "At times we just had too much inconsistency."