Tinley Park off to strong start
By Pat Disabato pdisabato@southtownstar.com September 11, 2012 7:34PM
Updated: October 14, 2012 1:26PM
Nick Johnston wasn’t sure what to expect from his Tinley Park squad this season.
The Titans, coming off an 8-3 campaign, graduated a ton of talent and were going to lack experience.
Lo and behold, Tinley Park is 3-0, having defeated Stillman Valley, Rich East and T.F. North.
“So far, so good,” Johnston said. “We didn’t know exactly what we had. We knew we had some talent from the 7-on-7 summer passing leagues, but we just weren’t sure if they would step up. Well, they’ve stepped up in a big way.”
The Titans are going to have to continue to step up with undefeated Lemont coming to town Friday night.
“They’re a typical Lemont team, big, physical and technically sound,” Johnston said. “We’ve got to use our speed and technique. We’d like to strike early and put some pressure on them.”
Junior quarterback Christian Plummer is developing more each week, providing a running and passing threat for the Titans. Junior Preston Thompson, who rushed for 850 yards as a sophomore on the varsity in 2011, is the Titans’ go-to guy.
Charles Hall anchors an offensive line that is progressing.
“They’re coming around,” Johnston said. “Charles was the lone returning starter back.”
Defensively, linebackers Brian Herman and Derek Schultz lead a group that has been relatively stingy, allowing just 38 points in three games.
Eisenhower starts slowly
It’s been a rough start for defending South Suburban Red champ Eisenhower, which is 0-3.
The Cards have lost to Rich East, Andrew and Lemont, which are a combined 7-2.
“We’ve had a very challenging schedule,” Cardinals coach Travis Moore said “We’re still eagerly looking forward to defending our conference championship.”
The Cards are young, especially at the skill positions, and have committed 12 unforced turnovers.
Eisenhower hopes to reverse its fortunes Friday night against Evergreen Park.
“We’re 0-3, but we’re still excited about the season,” Moore said. “We need to grow up and eliminate the mistakes.”
