By Peter Fusilero
Executive Sports Editor|
After quarterback Devin O’Hara ran in for a 4-yard touchdown with less than two minutes into the ball game, head coach Mike Sebestyen yelled at his confident team saying that this game was not over, “we still have 46 minutes left!”
Energy and excitement was a huge component to the 13-seeded Knight’s first round playoff win against the 4-seeded Glenbrook North Spartans, defeating them 35-14.
“Going into the game, energy was absolutely huge,” said running back Jack Tuttle. “It’s your first playoff game going on the road into someone else’s house, taking care of business.”
Tuttle (22 carries, 160 yards rushed) and the Knights certainly did take care of business in the second half executing on key plays.
“There is a couple of plays each game that really affect the outcome of the game,” Tuttle said. “Every game comes down to a few plays and I think we held every single one of them.”
The only thing that could hold back the Knights, were the costly penalties.
In the first half, Prospect was called for three penalties which included two personal fouls and a holding call that waived off a long touchdown by Tuttle.
Even though the officials seemed to be calling a one-sided game, the team refused to let a few little yellow flags keep them down.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with penalties,” Tuttle said. “You can’t let it affect you. At the end of the day, the referees might miss a few calls, but the [game] just works itself out.”
The Knights kept it close in the first half, with two rushing touchdowns by O’Hara, but the Spartans answered back with two touchdowns of their own from running back Grant Rushing.
“That kid is the best running back we have seen so far this year,” Sebestyen said.
Even though Rushing had been dominant in previous games and the first half, the defense locked down on the Spartan’s captain holding him to only 26 yards on 13 carries.
“We knew [Glenbrook North was] going to rush and we were ready  for them before the game,” said defensive lineman Shola George.
It’s beginning to be a trend for the Knights because they once again exploded in the second half.
With 10:19 left to play in the fourth quarter, linebacker Joe Gleason made a big defensive play picking off the Spartan’s quarterback. The interception electrified the Knights and put a dagger into Glenbrook North’s chances of making a comeback.
In the third and fourth quarter alone, Prospect ran for 170 out of their 260 yards.
O’Hara threw for 208 yards passing, with Andrew Hajek leading the way with 93 yards receiving and Joe Gleason finishing with 73 yards receiving.
One of Hajek’s many catches was a bullet pass from O’Hara which he ran for 40 yards to put the Knights in great field position.
Another big conversion was a 61 yard pass to Gleason which led later to a Tuttle touchdown which sealed Prospect’s victory.
After Friday night’s win, Prospect now prepares for their second round match-up against 5-seeded Wheaton North (8-1).
“We got seven days. We have to take advantage of those seven days,” Sebestyen said. “It really comes down to…can we get another seven?”