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Maine West finds answers in victory at Maine East

With its top two running backs out of action, Maine West struggled to develop some early momentum at Maine East on Friday night and came up empty on its first two possessions.

Then Jonaas Drain provided a much-needed spark and sent the Warriors toward a 41-12 victory in their Central Suburban North opener.

Drain sprinted for a 61-yard touchdown in the final minute of the opening quarter, and his 62-yard kickoff return in the third period helped set up another score.

"Jonaas was huge for us, especially in the first half," Maine West coach Jason Kradman said. "He's been a leader for us all season, both with his play and vocally as well. He's played on both sides of the ball and in about 80 percent of the snaps. I'm really proud of what he did."

The Warriors (3-2, 1-0) needed the boost with Anthony Henley and Marteen Robinson on the sideline. They managed to overcome those absences against the Blue Demons (1-4, 0-1), totaling 234 yards on the ground, with a combined eight players rushing the ball.

Drain had a team-best 74 yards on just three attempts. Ivan Stoitzev finished with 66 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries while Jacob Bellizzi had 46 yards and a score on nine rushes. Malik Siem reached the end zone twice in the decisive win.

"We are missing those guys (Henley and Robinson). They are great players," Drain said. "When people fall, we train harder. We get better and we find people who can replace them until they come back healthy."

The Warriors' defense contributed to the scoring in a 20-point third quarter with Matt Litas returning an interception. Maine West outgained its rival 345-164 but committed a whopping 14 penalties for 130 yards.

That's an area they'll need to clean up when they finish conference play against teams that are a combined 15-5, a stretch that begins next week at home versus Vernon Hills. It's also unclear if they will have Henley or Robinson available as both are considered "very questionable."

"We kept shooting ourselves in the foot. We were undisciplined. Every time we did something right, we had a penalty, which is our fault," Kradman said. "We just weren't focused."

With its victory over the Blue Demons, Maine West matched last season's win total. That 3-6 finish was the Warriors' best since going 5-4 in 2005.

Maine East ended the Warriors' shutout bid when Julio Cabrales ran 51 yards with 6:07 left in the third quarter. He also had a 20-yard score early in the final period and finished with 90 yards on 12 attempts.

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