LAGRANGE PARK — Terry Werntz threw everything Freeport had at Nazareth early, playing several of his best athletes both ways in the opening round playoff game Saturday.
The strategy worked for a quarter as the Pretzels jumped out to an early lead, but as the Pretzels tired, the Roadrunners kept putting points on the board, running away with a 63-29 win over Freeport at Nazareth Academy.
“When you’re going both ways you are going to drag,” the Freeport coach said. “That was our strategy and it looked good there for a while, but then our kids lost it.”
The Pretzels offense got off to a strong start when quarterback Kevin Flack found receiver Wes Gastel for a 48-yard gain on the first play of the game. Three plays later running back Tony Thompson gave the Pretzels the early lead with six yard run.
The Roadrunners quickly tied it up with a touchdown pass less than two minutes later, but on the first play of Freeport’s next drive Thompson burst through a huge hole of the left side and ran untouched for an 88-yard touchdown to put Freeport ahead. He credited his offensive line with clearing the way for the easy run.
“I got a big block from Jace (Werkheiser),” Thompson said. “He kicked him out and there was nobody there.”
It would be the last hole Thompson would see all game. After his second touchdown he had three carries for 101 yards, but the Roadrunners blitz filled up any gap he tried to run for as he finished the game with 15 carries for 103 yards.
“They were bringing the house,” Thompson said. “They were bringing the whole line, linebackers, everybody.”
After the Pretzels scored their third touchdown, a 12-yard run by Flack that extended the Pretzel lead to 21-7 with 2:07 to play in the first quarter, Freeport had chewed up 214 yards of total offense.
But from that point on, Nazareth amped up the pressure and the Freeport offensive line began to tire.
While the loss was disappointing, Werntz, Flack and Thompson all said the season wasn’t as Freeport made the playoffs for the first time in three years.
“This group of kids got us back in,” Werntz said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
- Jeremy Anders, rrstar.com
