CN100 Game of the Week preview: Football Week 5 - Richards vs. Argo

IHSA Football Week 5 – Richards vs. Argo

SUMMITT – Richards has been one of the most successful programs in the south suburbs the past three decades.
But, to keep their postseason streak alive, the Bulldogs will need to keep on their winning track of late after dropping their first two games of the season. All of that makes the Bulldogs’ South Suburban Red matchup with Argo on Saturday a big game. CN100, The Comcast Network, will air the game at Noon and 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27, and at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30. You can also watch it anytime in HD with Xfinity On Demand.
Richards (2-2, 1-0) opened the season with a pair of close losses to good teams – 30-29 to Lincoln-Way North and 35-20 to Geneva. The Bulldogs recovered with a 28-24 win over Lemont and a 28-13 win over Reavis in the conference opener.
“We are playing better now,” Richards Coach Tony Sheehan said. “We have had a very difficult schedule to start the year. We lost two tough games to two very good teams. We are a young team that keeps getting better and better every week.”
The two-time state champions have reached the playoffs in 29 of the past 30 years. After placing second in the state in 2013, the Bulldogs went 10-2 last year. Sheehan enters the game at a 60-23 clip in his nine seasons as head coach.
Many of Richards’ key players are juniors this season, the cause of some of the early growing pains. Junior quarterback Jake Moran leads the way, going 40-for-80 for 748 yards and eight touchdowns through the air, while also adding a rushing touchdown.
Moran spreads the ball around to three key receivers. Senior BJ Bridgewater leads the way with 12 catches for 234 yards and three touchdowns. Fellow senior Jarrod Moore (nine catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns) and junior Nathan Gimza (eight catches for 211 yards and two touchdowns) round out the trio.
Junior Pat Doyle leads the ground game, picking up 381 yards and two touchdowns in 64 carries. Junior Anthony Quinn contributed 102 yards and three touchdowns in 15 carries so far.
Argo (0-4, 0-1) welcomes a new coach in Todd Evans. He takes over for Jim Innis, who spent the past 27 years guiding the Argonauts.
Argo went 4-5 last year and made its third playoff appearance in program history in 2013. The Argonauts have to win out to return to the postseason.
The Argonauts dropped a 20-13 decision to Hillcrest to open the season, 20-13, but have scored only eight points since. Argo lost to Taft (24-8), Oak Lawn (20-0) and Tinley Park (62-0).
Junior quarterback Daniel Krzeczkowski triggers the Argonauts’ attack. He is 34-for-79 for 301 yards with three touchdowns and six interceptions. Krzeczkowski also handles kickoff and punting duties for Argo.
Senior running back/middle linebacker Jimmy Rich leads the team with 85 rushing yards and 10 receptions, adding a touchdown. On defense, he’s registered 19 tackles. Senior wide receiver/cornerback Jermaine McCray has contributed six catches for 94 yards and a touchdown.
Leading the way on defense is 275-pound junior nose tackle Audel Ochoa with 22.5 tackles, including six for loss. He also starts on offense at guard.
- Paul Johnson, CN100 Correspondent

Stay up to date on all of CN100’s games this season by visiting our website, or follow CN100 Sports on Facebook and Twitter to see where our crew will be next. When the games are done, tune into to see the best in Chicagoland prep sports each week with CN100 Sports Weekly. Game of the Week video highlights, Battle of the Fans clips and Prep Profile previews can all be found on our YouTube page - Sports Weekly.