Sports
Evanston Football Wins First Victory
Wide receiver James Brown leads the way through tremendous adversity.
On a brisk night at Lazier Field in Evanston, not even a wind gusting as high as 30 mph could get in the way of lifting a player's spirit and an aerial showdown between the Evanston Wildkits and the Homewood-Flossmoor Vikings.
In the end, the Wildkits prevailed in a wild comeback victory 52-49 thanks to the help of a senior wide receiver, James Brown, who was playing with a very heavy heart. He lost his father to cancer the day before the game.
Big passing plays began in the first quarter for the Vikings when junior quarterback Timothy Williams hooked up with junior wide receiver Willie Ross for an 85-yard touchdown that gave Homewood-Flossmoor a 6-3 lead after the extra point was missed. The Wildkits answered immediately when senior quarterback Byron Dawkins nailed a 42-yard completion to Brown who reached the Vikings 2-yard line. Junior running back Ray Bahr finished off the drive with a touchdown run to give Evanston a 10-6 lead.
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Initially in the second quarter, Evanston appeared to be grabbing full control of the game when Dawkins and Brown connected for a 55-yard touchdown, making the score 17-6. The touchdown was especially sweet for Brown made his presence count even more later on in the game.
However, the Vikings answered right away when Williams took a quarterback draw up the middle for a 65-yard touchdown run, shrinking the deficit to 17-14. Following a Homewood-Flossmoor muffed punt, Evanston took advantage with a 3-yard touchdown run by senior running back Rendell Massie. It again appeared that Evanston would run away with the victory, but Williams executed a flawless two-minute drill that concluded with another touchdown pass to Ross. At halftime, Evanston held a 24-21 lead and the momentum, temporarily, switched to the Vikings following their last drive.
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In the second half, Vikings senior Malik Norman made his mark in the game. He gave his team its second lead of the game after a sensational 45-yard touchdown run. He broke six tackles and made nearly all 11 Evanston defenders miss him. Norman added a second third-quarter score on a 2-yard touchdown run that gave Homewood-Flossmoor a 36-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
On the first play in the final quarter, Massie scored on a 2-yard run that got Evanston back in the game 36-31. On the following kickoff, Norman took over once again. He received the kickoff at his 13-yard line and ran right up the middle, made two Wildkits miss and broke an additional tackle, on his way to an 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Homewood-Flossmoor appeared to get some breathing room, extending its lead 43-31.
Two touchdowns were scored early in the fourth quarter. But there was more to come on the next Evanston drive. Massie took a pitch and ran right. It appeared to be a simple toss play, but Massie leveled his run and threw a jump ball to Brown, who pulled in the ball and scampered into the end zone for a 71-yard touchdown. Evanston was again fighting its way back as it trailed 43-38.
In crunch time, Brown would play the role of hero in what can only be described as something stranger than fiction. At the 2:29 mark, Brown split past a pair of Viking defensive backs and caught a perfectly placed pass from Dawkins and dived into the end zone. It appeared he fumbled, but he recovered the ball for the score. The go-ahead touchdown and extra point gave the Wildkits a 45-43 lead.
The following play iced the game when Homewood-Flossmoor fumbled the kickoff and senior Dillin Randolph run it in for a touchdown. Evanston went on to lead 52-43 thanks in part to four Viking fumbles.
Norman added his fourth touchdown of the game with 1:28 left to give the Vikings a glimmer of hope, but they failed to recover the ensuing onside kick.
The day belonged to Brown. He scored on 55-, 71- and 60-yard touchdown receptions, playing hard despite his recent personal hardship. The Wildkits improved to 1-1 and the Vikings fell to the same record.
The next game is Sept. 10 at the home field against Niles North.
