No chance of rain: Sandburg shuts out T-Bolts as McAllister gets first win as an Eagle

By Jeff Vorva
Correspondent

Before every game, football defenses usually make it a goal to post a shutout.

Sandburg has been doing that for years.

Friday night, it actually happened after a long drought.

For the first time since 2013, the Eagles blanked an opponent with a 12-0 road victory over District 230 rival Andrew in a SouthWest Suburban Conference crossover. It’s the first time the neighboring schools hooked up in football since 2014.

This rare shutout came against a team that exploded for 57 points against Thornton in Week 2.

It’s also the first victory of the Troy McAllister era. McAllister helped turn Phillips into the first Chicago Public League team to win a state football championship and there is excitement that he can turn the Orland Park school into a power.

“The defense was phenomenal,” he said. “There were a handful of mistakes, but they shut down the option and that’s what you have to do when you play a team like Andrew.

Senior defensive lineman Nate Gibbons enjoyed how the night played out after the team was outscored 60-14 in losses to Prospect and Glenbrook South to start the season.

“I feel like I’m on Cloud 9,” he said. “It feels amazing. It’s great to be celebrating with my brothers. Once this weekend is over, we will work hard for our next game.”

Some of the defensive stars included Kyle Peterson, Jalen Wright, Andy Szczesniak and Saleh Hamideh.

The Eagles have upcoming games against SWSC Blue powers Bolingbrook and Lincoln-Way East, as well as a Lockport squad that has scored at least 41 points in each of its three games and has outscored its opponents 132-7. The Raiders, Griffins and Porters are all 3-0.

Two Sanad Alshubbak field goals gave the Eagles (1-2) a 6-0 halftime lead, and quarterback Christian Evans found Jake Maziarka for a 55-yard connection with 5 minutes, 53 seconds left in the game.

“It was a nice wheel route out of the backfield,” Maziarka said. “I was wide open.”

Maziaka caught three passes for 75 yards and added 96 yards on the ground on 20 carries — all in the last three quarters against Andrew (1-2).

Off the field, this has been and odd rivalry.

District 230 has just three schools and Sandburg v. Stagg and Andrew v. Stagg are games that have occurred with regularity. For whatever reason, it hasn’t been the same with Andrew and Sandburg, even though the two schools have strong rivalries in other sports.

Andrew started playing football in 1977 and went decades without playing Sandburg. Athletic directors and administrations at the time either couldn’t or refused to make it happen.

In 2004, there was a heralded announcement that teams would begin playing each other in 2005. Months later, the way the playoff seedings fell, they ended up playing each other in the first round of the IHSA Class 8A playoffs. Sandburg won that game, 21-6, in an upset over the previously unbeaten T-Bolts in Tinley Park.

They played 10 more times during the regular season, with Sandburg winning nine games, before it was interrupted again. The last game before Friday was a Sandburg victory, 27-14, in 2014.

 

Andrew v. Sandburg
Scores from the 12 Andrew-Sandburg games over the years.

2004 – Sandburg 21-6*

2005 – Sandburg 39-25

2006 – Sandburg 26-9

2007 – Andrew 31-3

2008 – Sandburg 33-27 (3 OT)

2009 – Sandburg 26-7

2010 – Sandburg 23-16

2011 – Sandburg 17-10

2012 – Sandburg 30-23

2013 – Sandburg 42-35

2014 – Sandburg 27-14

2021 – Sandburg 12-0

*Class 8A playoffs