Bears Blow By Blue Devils With Solid Second Half

In this week’s 33-14 win against Warren, it was the tale of two different Bears teams: the first-half Bears who played tentatively on offense and defense, and the second-half Bears, who were more like last year’s team, featuring aggressive defense and solid, running offense.

“Composure was the difference,” said linebacker  Jack Lynn when asked about the change after halftime. “We got freaked out a little in the first half when (Warren) got off to a quick start, and we didn’t get it going until we came out in the second half.”

Actually, the turning point happened right before the half, when Chris Rantis blocked a punt on the 12-yard line with the Blue Devils deep in their own territory. Moments later, Zach Till, playing in his first game of the season following a pre-season ankle sprain, ran the ball in from eight yards out, narrowing an early Warren lead to one point at 14-13.

The contest got off to a wobbly start for . Till fumbled the ball on the second play of the opening drive, and it was recovered by Anthony Garza on the 23-yard line. Quarterback Adam Reuss then threw a 23-yard strike to Mitch Munda, and just like that Warren led 7-0.

The Bears didn’t fare much better on their second drive, as Till almost fumbled the ball again after Mike Shield rushed for 15 yards for the first Lake Zurich first down of the night.

After a three-and-out by the Blue Devils, the Bears put together a drive that netted them a field goal, the first of four by Mike Leiva, who had a stellar night. In fact, until the Bears’ offense got untracked in the second half, Leiva was the team’s scoring star.

Zach Till’s 10-yard pass to John Orlando on fourth and six kept the drive going, and after several short gains by Mike Shield and Connor Schrader, Leiva kicked it through the uprights, reducing Warren’s lead to 7-3.

The Blue Devils came roaring back, however, when running back Davonte Wilcox dashed down the left sideline for a 74-yard touchdown, upping Warren’s lead to 14-3. Wilcox’s touchdown points were the last that the Blue Devils scored in the game.

The Bears put together a solid drive on their next possession entering the second quarter, although they were eventually stymied by Warren’s defense. When the Blue Devils got the ball back, it looked like they were on the move again, as quarterback Adam Reuss connected with Munda for a long gain down the middle. But a penalty brought the play back and pushed Warren down the field 10 yards.

Later in the quarter, the Bears put together a modest drive after starting with excellent field position on Warren’s 38-yard line following a bad punt. The drive featured a pair of seven-yard runs by Shield and Schrader and a six-yard gainer by Till down the right sideline, setting up another field goal by Leiva, cutting the Blue Devils' lead to 14-6.

The Bears then sliced the lead to 14-13 going into the locker room at halftime following the blocked punt and subsequent touchdown run by Till.

Rantis’ big play closing out the half gave the Bears the momentum they needed going into the second half.

“We made some adjustments at halftime,” said Mike Shield. “Our defense was the big difference. We also made some changes on some of our offense, and responded to adversity. We weren’t playing how we’re capable of in the first half, but that changed in the second half.”

When Mike Lynn broke up a sideline slant pass by Reuss on Warren’s first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, it bode well for the Bears, who seemed revitalized.

“We definitely repositioned ourselves coming out after halftime,” said Lynn.

The Blue Devils went three-and-out, and the Bears took over at Warren's 43-yard line. Schrader reeled off a 16-yard gain, Shield ran for three yards and then seven, and on fourth-and-one, the Bears sent Leiva back out. He responded by knocking his third field goal through, a monster 40-yarder, and the Bears led for the first time in the game, 16-14.

The Blue Devils started their next drive backed up at their own 16-yard line, and went three-and-out again. A solid 44-yard punt with no return pushed the Bears back deep in their own territory. The Bears' drive stalled and they punted back to Warren.

A 49-yard pass by Reuss to Connor Iwema took the Blue Devils to Lake Zurich’s 31-yard line, but the drive fell apart when Reuss fumbled and Bears linebacker Taylor Coleman sacked him for a loss of nine yards. A holding penalty pushed Warren back to a 3^rd-and-32 situation.

On Warren’s first possession of the fourth quarter, punter Jordan Coleman attempted a fake punt and was tackled at his own 30-yard line. After a five-yard gain by Till and a four-yard gain by Schrader, Leiva kicked his fourth and final field goal, a 39-yard boomer.

After Lake Zurich stopped Warren on their next possession, Orlando scored on a dramatic 55-yard punt return, increasing the Bears’ lead to 26-14.

The Bears’ defense held the Blue Devils to one first down gain on their next drive before taking over on offense. Till then threw his longest pass of the night on Lake Zurich’s next drive with under five minutes remaining in the game, a 42-yarder to Mike Rantis, taking the ball down to the Warren 21-yard line.

The drive stalled at the four-yard line and Warren took over on downs. But several plays later, Shield recovered a fumble by Reuss in the end zone for the Bears’ final touchdown.

Bears Pause: Zach Till, in his season debut, was 2-4 passing for 51 yards and 12-for-31 rushing. Mike Shield was 17-for-77, had the huge fumble recovery and was otherwise solid on defense. Connor Schrader was 19-for-74. The Bears’ offense had the ball for 31:20 of the 48 minutes of the game. Lake Zurich scored their touchdowns on an eight-yard run, a 55-yard returned punt and a fumble recovery in the end zone. The other 12 points were the result of Mike Leiva’s four field goals.

Warren had a total of six first downs. They had 178 total yards on offense, but 146 of those yards came on just three plays. It took them 44 plays to accrue the other 33 yards.