Maine West completes the task against Deerfield

Behind a great offensive performance and an even better defensive effort, Maine West took a leg up in the Central Suburban North standings Saturday afternoon, defeating Deerfield 29-6 in the conference opener for both teams.

Maine West got off to a stellar start Friday evening, leading 26-0 at the half before the weather forced the game into suspension.

However, despite the field conditions and being forced to resume play Saturday, the Warriors stayed locked in.

"At that point, it's just a mental game. You just have to make sure your team is in an environment where we can be focused and can concentrate," said Maine West coach Jason Kradman. "(During Friday's delay), we were able to watch some film and things like that and just stay together as a team."

Maine West quarterback Danny Kentgen, who finished 8-of-16 with 113 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, echoed similar sentiments in regards to staying locked in and preparing to play again Saturday.

"It was definitely different. We got some food in us and the coaches just told us to treat it like it's 0-0," said Kentgen. "We came out here and I think we did a pretty good job. Our coaches motivated us and our players weren't down about it. We all responded and we were all ready for this game."

Maine West (4-1, 1-0) would be tested right away. On the opening drive of the half, Deerfield senior quarterback Ryan Nagelbach marched the offense on a 19-play, 60-yard scoring drive, topping it off with a 4-yard touchdown pass to senior Alex Cohan on fourth-and-goal. However, despite the hot start to the second half, time was of the essence for the Warriors of Deerfield, and that drive ate up a little over eight minutes of the clock and would be Deerfield's only scoring drive of the game.

"To get off to a 1-0 start in conference is big-time," said Kradman. "We are excited about playing Niles North on the road next week. We feel like we have always embraced that road warrior mantra here and hopefully we can keep it rolling in the CSL North."

"We can't get complacent. We have to make sure we take each game one at a time and not overlook teams," said Kentgen. "Stay confident and stay humble."