Football: Lincoln-Way West Learns It's Not Always Better to Give

There are traditional gifts every year for an anniversary, such as diamond jewelry for the 10th year and silver for the 25th.

No such gifts are expected when it comes to homecoming.

Still, that didn't stop from being in a giving mood on Friday night. The Warriors gave the ball to host h again and again during their Southwest Suburban Red Conference contest in Frankfort.

Lincoln-Way West coughed up the ball on eight separate occasions. While the Warriors were fortunate to recover four of them, they also threw an interception. All five turnovers came in the first half. Meanwhile, the Phoenix didn't commit a single turnover.

A steady rain from start to finish made the field and the ball slick, but it wasn't an excuse for Lincoln-Way West coach Mark Vander Kooi.

"(Lincoln-Way North) didn't turn the ball over," he said. "We just have to handle the ball better. That's all there is to it."

Amazingly, the turnovers didn't crush Lincoln-Way West (3-2, 2-1) like they easily could have. It was fortunate to have a defense that was able to make some big plays on countless occasions to keep the Phoenix from capitalizing more on the miscues.

"We have to take advantage when people give (us) gifts," Lincoln-Way North coach George Czart said. "We have to say 'thank you,' but we want touchdowns and we're not doing that. We've been getting turnovers but are not cashing in on them."

When it wasn't turnovers, it was penalties and indecisiveness that hurt the Warriors. After starting a possession at their 1-yard-line early in the third quarter, they rode Nick Dangles (26 carries, 126 yards) and moved down field.

Just as it looked like they might be able to culminate the drive with a game-tying touchdown, Lincoln-Way North's Adam Rosen sacked quarterback Kyle Millner for a 16-yard loss on third down.

While the Phoenix defense didn't strip the ball loose on all four lost fumbles, it certainly applied enough pressure to force the Warriors to move carefully.

"We work on strips all the time and just try to put pressure on the quarterback and not try to give him any time in the pocket," Lincoln-Way North senior linebacker Jeffrey Edmonds said. "They stumbled because we hit hard, too. I think we put a lot of things on their minds."

Lincoln-Way North (3-2, 1-2) parlayed only one of the turnovers into points. The Phoenix were fortunate their missed opportunities didn't come back to haunt them. On the other hand, they didn't beat themselves by committing turnovers.

"Every time we went out there we thought about losing the ball," Phoenix junior running back said. "Coach told us to hold onto it and keep any turnovers limited."

It wasn't the prettiest win, but it nonetheless ended a two-game losing streak and provided a nice storyline for Homecoming weekend.

"It feels good to win any day because we needed a win," Czart said. "We were long overdue for a victory, so this gets us back into the win column."