Nov 03, 2009
AFTER INAUSPICIOUS START TO SEASON, SPARTANS QUALIFY FOR PLAYOFFS

When the football season opened for Oak Lawn Community High School with an odd South Suburban Conference Red game in Week 1 instead of a nonconference game and a total of three losses in the first three games overall, it is safe to say the season hadnt started as head coach Ron Thornburgh would have liked.
However, the Spartans collected themselves in mid-September, moved quarterback John Robinson to wingback, found a way for running back Nick Pesek to run free, and rattled off five wins in their final six games to reach the magical 5-4 mark and earn a berth in the IHSA Class 6A State Playoffs for the second straight year.
As the 16 seed, Oak Lawn will travel to Danville (9-0) to play the number-one seeded Vikings on Saturday at 2 p.m. The address for Danville High School is 202 E. Fairchild, Danville, IL 61832. For more information or directions, the Danville website is www.danville.k12.il.us/schools/DHS_Site/index.htm.
n In their final game of the regular season on Friday night, the Spartans may have been without star running back Nick Pesek, who was out sick all week, but the rest of the Spartans certainly came to play against visiting Rich South in an all-or-nothing nonconference tilt. Robinson and the defense picked up the slack en route to earning a 38-0 victory.
A strong first half set the tone for the big win. Two special teams fumble recoveries and an interception all in the first half led the Spartans to a 26-0 lead at the break. John Robinson scored two of those touchdowns, while quarterback Mike Emanuelson and Joe Hoban each added one. Robinson only needed to play the first half to do his damage and finished the night with 157 yards on 19 carries. Hoban rushed 12 times for a season-high 70 yards.
Senior Chris Cascarano added a third-quarter touchdown to push the score to 32-0, and Tom Madsen scored a TD late in the fourth quarter for the 38-0 final score.