Defense bends, Trojans’ offense breaks

Down 7-13 in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s game, the Trojans (1-2, 1-1) appeared to be on their way to a stunning victory on the road against Oak Park River Forest High School (2-1, 1-1).

Quarterback Riley McGinnis was in the process of orchestrating a successful drive when OPRF intercepted the ball and returned it to the Trojans’ one-yard line. The ensuing score put the game out of reach for the Trojans and they went on to lose 7-21 in their first conference game of the season.

“We had a screen play drawn and our back leads out to the left,” McGinnis said of the interception. “The linebacker ran with him, I didn’t see him, he got the ball going the other way.”

Despite throwing two interceptions, McGinnis managed to put together a potent passing attack. He was 17 of 34 with 222 yards. He also rushed for 20 yards and a touchdown.

Coming off of a monster performance against Morton High School, the Trojans running game was virtually absent against OPRF. Senior running backs Anthony Rada and Robert Sheppard, who rushed for 215 yards last week, combined for only 37 yards Friday night.

OPRF head coach John Hoerster said forcing the Trojans into a one-dimensional passing game was part of his team’s game plan.

“The defense really believed in the scheme we had set up for them,” Hoerster said. “Our defensive line was just aggressive and fast, and they played with confidence. We forced them to do something they just weren’t comfortable doing.”

Despite the Trojans inability to put more than 7 points on the board on offense, the defense came ready to play. Until 1:59 left in the second quarter, the stingy Trojan’s defense was just as dominant as last week when they refused to let Morton score a single point.

“It all starts with the [defensive] line,” Sophomore linebacker Vontae Diggs said of his team’s defensive play in the first three games. “When the line plays well, we all play well. We know where our help is and we all stick together.”

The three OPRF touchdowns don't accurately reflect the Trojans defensive effort. Two of OPRF’s touchdowns came after starting with the ball inside the Trojan’s 35-yard line.

“I think our offense needs to step it up,” McGinnis said. “We put the defense in some tough spots tonight.”

The Trojans will look to even up their record with a win next week at home against Lyons Township.