8/30/06
Plano
at Sandwich
By Bill Lidinsky
Game Time: 7:30p.m. Friday September 1.
Sandwich Week 2 Status : 1-0 after last week's huge 18-7 upset win at Coal City.
The Coalers had been the pre-season second ranked team in Illinois Class 4A
football.
Plano Week 2 Status : 1-0 after a week one thrashing of Lisle at home 42-0.
Plano led 21-0 after one quarter and cruised to an easy win. The Reapers currently
stand as the fifth ranked ballclub on the Illinois Class 3A gridiron.
2005 Head To Head Meeting : Plano used a 24 carry, 203 yards, 2 touchdown effort
by then junior running back Nick Nasti to ice away a 38-14 win at Sandwich.
Nasti also helped the Reapers dominate on defense with a key interception to
halt an Indian drive in the third quarter.
Sandwich Key Players To Watch: Senior running backs Gil Buttels and Lance Futrell.
Each rushed for 135 and 134 yards respectively in last weeks win at Coal City
behind an offensive line that was dominant against the Coaler “D” line.
Plano Key Players To Watch: Are you kidding? Nasti of course. He wants to go
out big against his arch rival in his senior year. Ran the ball for over 100
yards versus Lisle in limited playing time last week. He's also a monster on
defense. Look also to senior QB/CB Brook Bott for leadership and consistency.
Live Radio Broadcast: The game will be carried live on WSPY 107.1 FM in Plano.
Jim Teckenbrock on the play-by-play call.
The folks partial to Sandwich Indian football are calling it the “War on 34”
this season, while fans of the Plano Reapers varsity gridiron squad are billing
it “ The Nation vs. The Tribe ”.
There have been many monikers over the years of course that have been title
to this great high school rivalry. But in 2006 the buzz and the anticipation
of the annual contest seems to be taking on a bigger feel in the two neighboring
communities. This is partly due to the Indians huge upset over top ranked Coal
City last week and the Reapers lofty status as one of the highest ranked Class
3A football teams in the state of Illinois and their 42-0 week one pounding
of Lisle.
Last season, Plano thrashed Sandwich early in the year on their way to a birth
in the IHSA 3A semifinal playoffs, while the Indians just missed getting into
the post season.
But after the shocker in week one at Coal City, don't tell Reaper head coach
Jim Green that the Indians aren't for real.
“That win against Coal City really raised some eyebrows in the Interstate Eight
Conference. Sandwich dominated offensive line play against the second ranked
team in Class 4A,” Green said. “Their offense looked crisp and their defense
played solid as well. Why not go after one of the top dogs now in 3A? We know
we've got to be ready to play and we will be.”
Green is a perfect 3-0 against Sandwich in this his fourth year at the Plano
helm, while Indian's head man Derek Avery is 0-2 against the Reapers in his
third season leading Sandwich.
Despite the big win in week one, Avery knows his team has a lot of work to do
if they're to reverse the most recent trend.
“We've got nothing to lose on Friday. We know we're big underdogs, but we were
against Coal City and came up big,” Avery said. “Essentially the losses to Plano
the last two seasons have kept us out of the playoffs because we finished 4-5
both years. We know we'll have to dominate line play and contend with their
fantastic shifting defense in order to win. And if we ever take a play off defensively,
I'm sure we'll see number 44 (Nasti) make us pay with a 60 yard run or something.
Hopefully we'll come to play with that same confidence we had against the Coalers.”
One very interesting sidebar to this contest is that Avery's assistant running
back coach is Chris Green, brother of Plano's head man Jim.
“Chris is a great coach for us and a great guy. Obviously we're good friends
with Jimmy too. The other day I told the guys to stab Chris and see what colors
he bleeds, just joking of course,” Avery said. “It turned out it was orange
and black so we were all good. Seriously, this is a friendly, but intense rivalry,
one that I'm just pleased to be apart of.”
Green echoes his counterparts sentiments.
“Chris was coaching with Derek last year. My nephew plays on the Sandwich fresh-soph
team, while my boy plays on our varsity squad,” Green said. “It's a little hard
on grandma Green, but she'll be all right and it's a lot of fun for all of us.”
Family business aside, fans along the far west Route 34 corridor should be in
for a treat on Friday night at Sandwich.
“Hopefully we'll have a huge crowd. Both teams should compete well, and the
fans will have a good time cheering both sides on,” Avery said. “Most will understand
that these are two good ballclubs playing their hearts out for community pride.
One team will win and one will lose of course. But no matter what the outcome,
I think that both have a great shot at accomplishing great things this season.
I can't imagine anything less than a fabulous high school football atmosphere
come Friday night.”