Lemont Looks To Stay Unbeaten At T.F. South

Will the third meeting between  and Thornton Fractional South be the Indians’ third straight win in the series and fourth to start the season or will T.F. South finally capture its first win in this 7 p.m. South Suburban Blue Conference battle Friday in Lansing?

That is the question. But football coach Eric Michaelsen knows there a lot of areas where his team needs to improve.

enters with a 3-0 mark and will play its first league game, while T.F. South is 1-2, 0-1 after dropping a heart-breaking 33-21 loss to Oak Forest to open league play. A tipped pass led to the go-ahead score for Oak Forest, which later scored after a Rebels’ fumble to close the contest.

“T.F. South is coached by one of the best coaches in the state,” Michaelsen said. “We are playing there against a team with high expectations for themselves. We will have to meet their emotion and intensity right from the beginning or we could be in trouble.”

The Rebels are coached by veteran Tom Padjen, who is in his 35th season at the helm with a 202-137 record. His Rebels had a streak of 12 straight playoff appearances from 1998-2008 and they were in the playoffs last season. Padjen has guided the Rebels into the postseason 17 times.

Giovanni “Canty is as good a running back as we will see this year,” Michaelsen said. Jalen “Woods is a great defensive back/wide receiver and (Tre’Von) Hughes is a great linebacker/fullback.

“Their defense is well-coached and hard-hitting. Their kids will be prepared. Their offense is filled with exceptional skill kids and a solid line, add Canty — a superstar — into the mix and we will have our hands full.”

won the first two meetings between the two schools, a 16-0 shutout in 2009 and a 23-17 triumph in 2010 that saw Indians running back Mike Anzalone score twice.

The Indians, who started the season with two shutout wins, gave up their first score of the year last week against Richards, but they were able to bounce back late in the second quarter. Junior wide receiver Joe Hehir snared a 79-yard pass from quarterback Damon Aleman with 1:05 left for to grab the lead 7-6 headed into the break.

’s defense, coached by coordinator John Howell, turned up the heat against Richards’ sophomore quarterback Tommy Mister and recorded eight sacks for a total loss of 57 yards. Connor O’Brien, John Tomala and Kyle Krull each had two sacks and Brad Uher and Andrew Manganiello each had a sack. has 11 sacks for the season.

“We made some adjustments to our option responsibilities,” Michaelsen said. “We covered well, which allowed our rush to get to the quarterback.”

Aleman (4 of 11, 146 yards) hit LaMarr Taylor for a 28–yard strike with 4 minutes left in the third to increase the Indians’ lead to 14-6.

Anzalone had muffed a punt late in the first half, but his team picked up his spirits as he rushed for two fourth quarter touchdowns (16 and 31 yards) to put Richards away. Anzalone had 22 carries for 164 yards and for the season, he has 38 carries for 352 yards and three touchdowns.

”It was nice to see the support (Anzalone) received,” Michaelsen said. “We teach the players to move on to the next play, no matter if you did a great job, or muffed something up.”

Michaelsen is focused at the task at hand, getting his Indians prepared for another contest. His team trailed, albeit briefly, against Richards, which played Lemont tough in the first half. The Indians, who had a couple of fumbles in the game, were able to overcome some adversity.

“It was important” to overcome adversity, Michaelsen said. “We teach the players to continue to work hard, do their jobs and good things will eventually happen.”

So far this season, good things have happened for ’s football team.