The Highland Park Giants Season 2014
The Highland Park Landmark
By: Kyle Tyrrell
(Four Games Highlighted)
Football: Giants dominate Mundelein, Greenberg shines in 38-21 victory
Kyle Tyrrel, Staff Writer
4:49 pm CDT September 12, 2014
The Highland Park Giants tamed the Mundelein Mustangs Friday, Sept. 5, in Mundelein by a score of 38-21 in a rainy game that tested the Giants ability to maintain ball possession with their running game and dominate defensively.
Senior running back Cole Greenberg was the workhorse Friday night, playing offensively, defensively and making critical special teams plays.
“My coaches told me before the game that I needed to be a senior leader,” Greenberg said. “They expect me to know every position offensively and defensively.”
Greenberg rushed 24 times for 107 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
The senior also glimmered on special teams with a fumble recovery off of a muffed Mustang punt return.
Greenberg’s most versatile moment came with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter on a fake sweep pass where he connected with receiver Jack McGuire on a go route 66 yards for a touchdown — a play not even Nostradamus could have seen coming.
“I [have] to give props to my offensive line and especially to Jack McGuire showing that speed,” Greenberg said about his touchdown pass. “I knew if I just put it out there, anywhere in his range he would catch it and do the rest.”
Coach Hal Chiodo said the gimmick play shows the individual talent the Giants have at several positions.
“It was perfect timing,” Chiodo said. “We ran it into the boundaries, which is something we don’t normally do, but our offensive coordinator called it at just the right time.”
With rainy weather comes football unorthodoxy, which was evident on the Mustang’s opening drive when senior linebacker Aaron Brown and junior safety Cristian Volpentesta ransacked the quarterback and dislodged the ball.
Senior linebacker Tommy Rudman snatched the ball from the wreckage and finished the play with a touchdown, his second defensive touchdown in as many games.
Rudman and Chiodo said the special teams capitulated too many yards on kick returns, giving up one return touchdown and another 50-plus yard return.
“I think we came into this game a little lackadaisical,” Rudman said. “It took us some time to realize how good we are, how much effort we could put into this. It finally showed up in the end.”
However, the Giants toughness on defense and their ability to play power football with the run game was the key to their first road win.
The Giant defense battered the Mustangs offense most of the night, forcing three fumbles (one for a touchdown), nabbing an interception and getting three sacks.
Senior quarterback Sam Nevers weathered the rain going 14-for-24 for 130 yards, one rushing touchdown and no interceptions.
Nevers didn’t surrender the ball despite the sloppy weather, which would have been devastating on a road battle for ball possession and clock management.
Chiodo said Nevers started off slow but had another strong second half performance and finished the game well.
“I really like his poise in the pocket,” Chiodo said. “I just think he keeps getting better and better and I’m really pleased with his progress.”
The Giants would never surrender their lead after their first score, though a kick return with 30 seconds left in the first half cut the Giants lead to seven.
Chiodo said the defense not only played consistently, but they came up with some huge plays, including three fumble recoveries, three sacks and an interception.
Chiodo said offensively, though, the Giants played poorly in the first half.
“We thought we could run the ball on them in the beginning and we were wrong,” Chiodo said. “Out of the first 10 plays we had one good play. We also had three straight three-and-outs before we got our first first down.”
Chiodo said the running game clicked in the second half when they prescribed a heavy dose of Greenberg runs up the middle to eat the clock.
“We’re going to be completely focused all week,” Greenberg said about heading into Evanston Sept. 12. “We are going to work on getting off the ball and starting strong.”
Winning on the road requires a stout defense and a reliable running game and it looks like the Giants have the ability to travel this season.
Chiodo said going into Evanston will be their toughest test so far this season.
“They are well-coached and the environment is loud,” Chiodo said. “Our work is cut out for us. We are going to have to be ready.”
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Football: HP edges rival Deerfield, remains unbeaten
Kyle Tyrrel, Staff Writer
5:00 pm CDT September 29, 2014
The Giants defeated the Warriors 17-14 in Deerfield Friday night in their grittiest game of the year to improve to a sterling 5-0 record and 1-0 in the Central Suburban League North division.
Coach Hal Chiodo said the Giants knew this one would be a dogfight to the end and the mist coming from the forests surrounding Deerfield’s football field verged on haunting.
“Wasn’t one of our prettier ones,” Chiodo said. “But we found a way to win. That’s what good teams do.”
The Giants have put up stellar offensive numbers all season, scoring into the upper twenties and thirties. They had to grind out a meager 17 points against a Warrior team that was hungry to upset the Giants perfect season.
But a win’s a win, and a rivalry win is all the more sweet, especially in Deerfield.
The Giants struck first on their first offensive drive with a Jacob Swatrz field goal in the first quarter to go up 3-0.
On their third offensive series, running back Cole Greenberg ripped off consecutive runs of 30 yards and 18 yards.
Quarterback Sam Nevers, who grows more sagacious as a leader every game, booted out right and completed a throw to Aaron Brown, putting the Giants on the 1-yard line.
Nevers snuck it in from the 1 for a touchdown, putting the Giants up 10-0.
“It was a hell of a game,” Nevers said. “They played us tough and we had to come up with some big plays to win.”
The Warriors capped a long drive with less than a minute to go in the first half with a touchdown to make the game 10-7.
The Giants spent halftime ruminating on a vacant baseball field while coach Hal Chiodo paced back and forth trying to summon up a second half plan. He revamped the defensive line because the athletic backs of Deerfield were punching through to the Giant secondary on too many plays.
The third quarter was a trading of defensive stops. It was a “lull” as Greenberg put it.
As the fourth quarter began, the Warriors struck again on a touchdown run by their quarterback to go up 14-10.
The Giants have never been down in the second half all season. They would receive the kick and have a chance to retake the lead.
But the Warriors kicked it deep.
And on their ninth series of offense, the Giants started from their own 9-yard line. They would have to drive 89 yards – at which point a dense fog caped the field and made the end zone seem all the more distant.
The Giants got a first down and then had some trouble the next two plays. Greenberg got shut down twice. It was third-and-10 from the 20-yard line, probably the most pivotal play of the game, when Nevers connected with Tommy Rudman for 26 yards and an emphatic first down.
“It just all comes back to having that chip on our shoulder from last season,” Rudman said after his perennial performance on both offense and defense. “It’s every play, every second, that’s all we think about is getting that next yard and we certainly did it this game.”
Nevers hit Rudman the very next play for another first down and then Nevers hit defensive standout Cristian Volpentesta for another consecutive first down.
With about five minutes left, Nevers launched it to wide receiver Luke Norcia, who streaked down the right sideline in front of the Warrior bench, got bottled up by three Warrior defenders and spun like a corkscrew, almost touching the ground, righted himself, and ran untouched into the end zone, putting the Giants up 17-14.
“What Norcia did on that one – it was a whale of an individual effort,” Chiodo said. “He broke a couple of tackles, I mean, they had him.”
“We were all making big plays on that drive,” Norcia said. “When I got the call for that play I was just running for the end zone. I mean I couldn’t see anything and I didn’t know how many tackles I broke, I just had to run.”
Greenberg said he had never been so proud of his team as that defining moment.
Arrie Mitchell is a dynamo who has been a vocal leader from day one. He often leads the team in victory chants and plays both offense and defense.
“We have heart and we are going to keep fighting no matter what circumstances we have,” Mitchell said. “Don’t matter if we are backed down to the 9-yard line, whatever, we won’t stop.”
Mitchell said this Giants team is special.
“We all stay together, we all connect at the same level,” Mitchell said. “It’s gonna be hard to beat us, tell ‘em all, we are gonna keep fighting.”
Nevers ended the game 14-for-22, 192 yards, two touchdowns (one rushing) and one interception.
Norcia, Jack McGuire and Rudman picked up the void left by the injured wide receiver Lundevall who sat out with a broken toe.
Greenberg had 19 rushed for 120 yards in a game where he was considered eliminated – such is the testament to a great running back – rushing for more than a Ben Franklin on a non-productive night.
“They really had some good blitzes and they shut down our running game,” Greenberg said. “Sometimes you have to play in that lull and be patient and we did that tonight.”
Chiodo’s distemper at halftime turned into euphoria at game’s end. He said he knew Deerfield was going to be aiming to tarnish their perfect season.
“This team don’t quit,” Chiodo said. “These guys know what being in a close game is all about. They’re tough kids. We work very hard and we are conditioned. I just thank goodness we were able to play so hard in the end.”
In the end, indeed. The Warriors drove down the field on their last drive and threatened to take the lead with 75 seconds left.
With 58 seconds left the Warriors had fourth-and-4 on the 20-yard line and they had just converted on a fourth-and-11.
But the Giants flexed – shut down the Warriors on a collective defensive effort – then celebrated in the fog – a danse macabre – as the final curtain was pulled on Deerfield.
Nevers kneeled it twice and walked off the field a victor – the last time he will ever have to step foot on Deerfield territory as a football Giant.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling to beat Deerfield,” Nevers said. “You just can’t match it.”
Kyle Tyrrell
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Football: Giants top Waukegan to remain undefeated at 4-0
Kyle Tyrrel, Staff Writer
12:59 pm CDT September 22, 2014
The Highland Park Giants achieved 4-0 in front of a packed home stadium in Highland Park for their homecoming game against the Waukegan Bulldogs.
The victory came with the most adversity the Giants saw all year, going down for the first time all season and going into halftime deadlocked 7-7 with a feisty Bulldog team that nearly took the lead at the end of the first half.
The Giants, resilient and multifaceted as they are this season, revamped their game plan at halftime, intercepted the Bulldogs on their first possession of the third quarter and then scored immediately on a Cole Greenberg five-yard touchdown plunge.
Senior running back Greenberg, who has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the previous three games, was held to 13 rushing yards in the first half as the Bulldogs fortified the line of scrimmage with heavy defenders to prevent him from running wild again.
The Giant’s only first half score came on a 34-yard Sam Nevers strike to senior wide receiver Hallvard Lundevall.
Lundevall said they had to rely on their passing game to overcome the Bulldog defense.
“We knew they [the Bulldogs] were going to be blitzing a lot,” Lundevall said. “We knew we were at some point going to have to put the ball in the air and let it be up to our receivers to make some plays.”
Lundevall said quarterback Nevers’s leadership was evident this game when they needed him.
Nevers went 8-for-17 for 211 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. That’s more than 26 yards per pass and a 40 percent touchdown efficiency. Nevers said when they shut down the running game, they were able to respond.
“That’s the thing about us, when they shut down one aspect, we come out with another,” Nevers said. “Our receivers played great. When they get open space, they are going to make plays like that, that’s what they can do.”
The Giants outscored the Bulldogs 21-0 in the second half to secure their fourth straight win 28-7 Friday, Sept. 19 in Highland Park.
“At halftime we made some adjustments because our running game wasn’t working,” Nevers said. “We’re not one-dimensional. One part of our game wasn’t working so we came out and gave them the other part and it really opened things up.”
Senior wide receiver Luke Norcia had one of the second half receiving touchdowns, a 74-yard stretching grab in stride where he turned on some afterburners to evade a convergence of Bulldog defenders.
“It was a really nice throw from Nevers and it’s a nice little route that we do,” Norcia said. “It just felt good to come and jump in front of that [defender] and grab it and I really wanted to get a touchdown so I ran for it.”
Senior linebacker Tommy Rudman talked about how his defense has never experienced being in a hole, down 7-0, after the Bulldogs broke open a 75-yard touchdown run on them in the first quarter.
“We’re not used to having our backs against the wall like that,” Rudman said. “It was a good lesson for us that we need to play by intensity in all phases of the game all the time or we’re going to go down.”
Rudman is a fireball of intensity on the field and an outspoken team leader. He talked about his quarterback leading the Giants to that victory.
“Sam just gets better with every week,” Rudman said. “As a first-year starter he really plays like a veteran and as a captain, he is leading us to victory.”
Rudman also had two rushes on offense for 12 yards and two receptions for 27 yards.
Chiodo said he was glad homecoming is over because it’s the time of the season where his players are most distracted with other things.
He also told his team after the game to be safe and make smart decisions this homecoming weekend because “Deerfield is just waiting for one of you to mess up, get in trouble and get suspended.”
Chiodo said his halftime speech wasn’t a rah-rah one; it was just a check of their will to win.
“That [Bulldog] team is good, and they weren’t going to let us run all over them and they changed our initial game planning,” Chiodo said. “The [Bulldogs] forced us out of what we wanted to do and we kind of knew we were going to have to throw the ball to win. Had we not been able to execute the passing game we would not have won that game.”
Chiodo said Friday, Sept. 26 is going to be a defining game in Deerfield.
“We will be ready to play against Deerfield,” Chiodo declared. “We probably put some more fuel in their tank, their knowing we are 4-0 and they’d love nothing more than to put a loss on us. We’re going to see their best game of the year and we know that so we will be prepared for that.”
Rudman said being 4-0 is a surreal feeling and he can’t wait to get to Deerfield for maybe the truest test of the season.
“Deerfield is going to be a huge game for us,” Rudman said. “We are playing for a lot: Our undefeated record, our rivalry game, getting to 5-0; we are going to give everything we have this week in practice.”
Kyle Tyrrell
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Giants 3-0 after toppling Evanston
Kyle Tyrrel, Staff Writer
5:32 pm CDT September 19, 2014
The Giants exorcised a few demons when they downed the Evanston Wildkits 24-7 on a dreadfully cold and rainy night in a Central Suburban League crossover match Friday, Sept. 12 in Evanston.
The Giants advanced to 3-0 for the first time in 50 years while simultaneously exacting revenge on a Wildkit team that upset the Giants last season in a devastating come-from-behind victory.
But the Giants did not need to employ trickery or chess-master type play-calling.
They did what any legitimate 3-0 team does: They imposed their will throughout the night with their punishing defense and heady running game on the heels of senior standout Cole Greenberg.
The opening kickoff proved to be the definitive statement of the night when Cristian Volpentesta returned the ball 30 yards, igniting the Giants’ sidelines and giving quarterback Sam Nevers a short field.
“Coming in, we all had a head of steam from last year,” Volpentesta said. “By the time the kickoff came, everyone was ready to go and we showed it right there.”
Volpentesta, a roaming cornerback, along with linebacker Tommy Rudman lead a Giants defense that executes and rarely misses a tackle.
Both Rudman and Volpentesta had crucial offensive catches, and Volpentesta chased down a Wildkit and tackled him on the 2-yard line on a kick return, setting up a short field for Nevers again.
“Hard work and no mercy,” Volpentesta said about the Giant defensive mentality. “We go 110 percent every single play. Big hits don’t stop – [we] get at them every single play.”
Nevers went 2-for-2 on the opening drive and connected on a daring fourth-and-4 play with senior wide out Hallvard Lundevall on a 24-yard slip screen for a touchdown.
Unlike last year, the Giants would never cede their lead.
Nevers finished the game with an efficient 12-for-19, 76 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers.
“That [opening drive] was big on the [offensive] line – all week it was on them,” Nevers said. “It all starts up front and [the offensive line] really took it to [Evanston], and from there Cole had some good runs and we strung together all that. Our biggest thing is starting fast and we did just that.”
Nevers said he’s excited to play in front of their home crowd next week for homecoming, especially with an undefeated record.
“Three-zero is the best feeling we could have,” Nevers said. “This was a game that we highlighted on our calendar. We looked forward to finishing what we didn’t finish last year.”
Coach Hal Chiodo said it was a fabulous feeling to improve to 3-0 while beating a team that beat his Giants last season.
“We did a great job, we made a lot of great plays,” Chiodo said. “It’s just a great feeling to come in and play a team with Evanston’s stature – they’re big and fast and strong – and to stand up to them and really play a great football game against them.”
Chiodo said the two key moments of the game were when the Giants forced the Wildkits to punt on their first series out of halftime, and then immediately matching a Wildkit touchdown in the third quarter.
Chiodo said those are elements of a team that never gives in.
“[Our guys] practice hard and they prepared all week for a big game against [Evanston],” Chiodo said. “This is an extremely intelligent group of kids, not only in the classroom, but on the field and it really shows.”
Chiodo said he’s proud to bring a 3-0 team back to Highland Park next week for homecoming.
“It’s a great feeling and a great testament to our kids and our whole coaching staff all the way from varsity down to the freshmen,” Chiodo said.
Greenberg had another monster game with 33 rushes for 165 yards and a touchdown.
“Ever since we lost to Evanston last year, all the seniors have just been like ‘next year we’re going to win this game’,” Greenberg said. “At halftime the coach came in and said ‘Cole, we’re going to put the team on your back.’ I just knew I had to keep lowering my shoulder and getting those yards.”
Greenberg, known for his bulldozer-like running ability, flashed speed all night, beating defenders around edges on sweeps and executing split-second jukes to elude defenders for clusters of yards, two of which were back-to-back 19 and 21 yard gains in the fourth quarter.
“[The defense] is the backbone of our team,” Greenberg said. “And our offensive line, I’m just so proud of them.”
The Giant’s focus has overcome three straight games of inclement, sloppy weather. The Giants use the weather to their advantage by forcing turnovers and slowly wearing down opponents with their methodical running game.
Sophomore running back DJ Penick suffered a hip injury after an impressive varsity debut in game one. Penick sat out last week at Mundelein and slowly integrated back into the offense Friday night in Evanston, carrying the ball once for four yards. He also is a force on defense but coach Chiodo said he wouldn’t rush Penick.
“I was at like 80 or 90 percent tonight,” Penick said. “I feel like I’ll be back to 100 percent next week.”
The Giants will play their homecoming game on Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. against Waukegan.
Volpenstesta said the Giants are special in the way they work hard.
“Hard work beats talent,” Volpentesta said. “Talent doesn’t work hard.”
Kyle Tyrrell
