The grass was far too high for football. DuSable dressed just 13 players, had to start without its head coach in attendance and played a stretch of the game with just 10 players. In the end, all those difficulties stacked up to make Thursday’s game at Stagg Stadium entertaining and even a little inspiring.
Comer, one of the top teams in the Noble League, knocked off the Panthers 38-22. Catamounts quarterback Tevin Lewis-Johnson, a returning starter, engineered the win.
“He’s just a lot more confident,” Comer coach Gavin Lamb said. “He’s an exceptionally hard-worker and a really good leader. The kids respect him and he sets a really good tone, along with a couple other guys.”
Lewis-Johnson had seven carries for 69 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown run. He was 3-for-8 passing and connected with Dante Knight-Little for a 21-yard score to seal the win with 1:27 left in the game.
Junior Chad Clark was the other offensive star for the Catamounts (2-0, 1-0 Chicago Lake Street). He had touchdown runs of 15 and 18 yards.
Comer beats DuSable 38-22. This 21-yard pass from Tevin Lewis-Johnson to Dante Knight-Little sealed the win. The Catamounts are 2-0. pic.twitter.com/V5RxWQ6WZC
— Michael O'Brien (@michaelsobrien) September 5, 2019
DuSable coach Andrew Frierson didn’t arrive until four-minute mark of the first quarter. His team already trailed 16-0. Frierson works at another school and he had to finish the school day and drive to the stadium.
“According to CPS rules you cannot take any personal or sick days the first or last week of the school year,” Frierson said. “So we had some distractions.”
The Panthers (1-1, 0-1) have nine players currently injured so are dressing only 13. When two players went down injured in the second quarter it left DuSable with only ten players. The Panthers didn’t seem to ever consider forfeiting the game. Junior Malik Walker actually scored on a 69-yard run on the first play DuSable ran with only ten men.
“I’m just impressed with the kids on [DuSable],” Lamb said. “They really had a lot of heart and a lot of discipline. It was inspiring to see them and their coaches fight like that. I’ve played a lot of teams that really crumble and fold. Those kids really deserve some credit.”
The Panthers ended up only playing the last eight minutes of the second quarter with ten men. Both injured players bounced back to play in the second half.
“At halftime I was able to tell the guys we were just one play away from making a big play,” Frierson said. “We just needed to make sure we progressed and finished the game out strong and hard.”
DuSable continued to threaten the Catamounts in the third quarter. Jaborn Washington’s two-yard run with 3:55 left in the game pulled DuSable within eight points.
“I was surprised when they kept playing with ten but they really wanted it,” Lewis-Johnson said. “I have a lot of respect for them.”
DuSable’s Malik Walker punches it in from 2 yards out for his second TD of the game. The Panthers trail Comer 30-16 in the 3Q. pic.twitter.com/fVIw7tY3Lb
— Michael O'Brien (@michaelsobrien) September 5, 2019
Frierson, who previously coached at Chicago Tech and Douglass, is in his first year at DuSable.
“I know the toughness in these kids,” Frierson said. “We said we were not going to give up. We aren’t quitters, we weren’t built to do that. I’m here as the head coach trying to change this program. It has been a battle. We’ve scored 30 points in two games this season. They scored a total of 30 points just last season total. That’s a tremendous turnaround, I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
