Sports
Football: Special Teams Aid Tinley Park in Thriller Over T.F. North
The Titans received touchdowns on consecutive special teams plays to help clip the Meteors 56-52.
The numbers were gaudy: 108 points, nine lead changes, two special teams touchdowns and a blocked punt.
Suffice it to say, on Friday night.
“I think I need that ambulance over there before I leave the school,” Johnston joked, pointing to an ambulance parked nearby.
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Who could blame him?
The stakes were high entering the game. Tinley Park and T.F. North both had unblemished records entering their first South Suburban Blue Conference clash of the year.
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The Titans offense looked out of sync early, but continued to pound the ball on the ground in the second half while picking their shots for big plays down field. Tinley Park eventually wore down the T.F. North defense, scoring five touchdowns on offense and adding two more via special teams in the second half.
“Our line and our ground game were fantastic again,” Johnston said. “But what got us back into the game was our great special team plays.”
After being down by as much as 13, Titans running back Gregory Wallace cut the Meteors' lead to five with a 73-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. A defensive stop on the ensuing drive set up Frank Redding's 63-yard punt return for a TD and a 28-26 Titans lead.
“I was just looking for a lane. Somehow I found it, and I just took off," a pumped-up Wallace said. "I didn’t think I was going to (score a touchdown). I just took off."
Tinley Park couldn’t celebrate for long. T.F. North immediately marched down the field and scored on a 45-yard pass from quarterback Calvin Lindsey to wide receiver Claude Garret (9 receptions, 206 yards, 2 TD).
“(Garret) is a great receiver. We had a lot of trouble containing him," Johnston said. "We tried three different guys on him, man and zone combinations.”
A touchdown run by backup quarterback Dion Beecham gave T.F. North a 52-49 lead with two minutes left in the game—two too many for the Meteors as it turned out. Tinley Park marched down the field in 80 seconds, as running back Preston Thompson scored the game winning touchdown on a 4-yard run.
“T.F. North has a tough offense. I’m disappointed that we gave up so many big plays, but we’ll take the win,” Johnston said.
The Titans improved to 3-0 and will host Evergreen Park on Sept. 16.
