Lions Football Shut Out at Home by Mustangs

In a battle of top-notch teams, Downers Grove South controlled every aspect of the game and stunned Lyons Township 28-0 at Bennett Field.

Mustangs senior running back Josh Williams carried 19 times for 193 yards, including two 47-yard touchdown runs that sealed his team’s victory in the fourth quarter.

“It took some time for me to get going,” Williams said. “I knew [Lyons] would have eight people in the box trying to stop me the whole game, but eventually I cracked open a couple of holes in their defense.”

The Mustangs (2-0) raced to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, after a three-yard touchdown run by junior John Wauer, and a 60-yard punt return touchdown by senior Danny Leach.

“I owe [my touchdown run] to the team,” Leach said. “My teammates created two huge holes for me, and I just took advantage of them.”

Leach said he felt the win was a “huge” one for Downers South.

“We set a goal to start off the season 2-0, and that’s exactly what we did,” he said.

The Lions (1-1) received quality performances from senior wide receiver Rennick Thompson, who caught seven passes for 112 yards, and junior wide receiver Matthew Harris, who gained 60 yards receiving on four catches.

Junior quarterback Connor Onion had a busy night, completing 19 of 39 passes for 212 yards.

But head coach Kurt Weinberg said his offense’s performance on the whole left a lot to be desired.

“Offensively, I thought we were terrible,” Weinberg said. “You can’t keep putting that much pressure on your defense to get stops like we did.”

The Mustangs’ defense pressured the Lions’ offense tremendously and stifled it at critical junctures, forcing three fumbles and three turnovers on downs.

“We practice against our defense, which applies a lot of pressure — so pressure shouldn’t be a problem for us,” Weinberg said.

The Lions attempted to mount a charge late in the first half. Onion connected with Thompson three times on a drive that penetrated deep into Mustang territory, before culminating in a fumble on the Downers Grove 16 yard-line.

Early in the fourth, Lyons returned to Downers Grove territory after a leaping reception by Thompson and a scramble by Onion. But the Downers defense held firm, stopping Lions’ senior running back Jaime Jones on the one yard-line with nine and a half minutes remaining to preserve the shutout.

Both teams begin conference play next week. Downers South will host Morton, while Lyons will face Glenbard West—a team that gained national recognition after snapping defending 7A champion Wheaton Warrenville South’s 26-game winning streak in a nationally televised game last Sunday.

Weinberg said the Lions must improve considerably if they are to stand a chance against the mighty Hilltoppers.

“If we don’t play to a significantly higher level, we’re going to get killed,” he said. “We’ll either get better, or we’re going to get crushed.”