Lockport Porter Parents Football Association

10/11/2026

Mistakes Catch Up To Lockport In A Lopsided Loss To Lincoln-Way East

By Randy Whalen

The Lockport Township Football team felt good.

After all, the Porters were playing much better and on a 4-game win streak.

But they soon discovered that you have to play almost perfectly to compete with Lincoln-Way East. The Griffins came into Lockport and defeated the Porters 40-0 on Friday, October 9, to once again capture the SouthWest Suburban Conference.

"We had a good week of practice, and we believed we could compete with them," Lockport coach George Czart said. "But we couldn't stop them, and we couldn't stop ourselves from stopping ourselves."

The loss dropped the Porters (4-4, 4-2) back to .500 and moved them down in the upcoming playoff positioning. Lincoln-Way East (8-0, 6-0) captured the conference championship for the 17th time since the SWSC formed in the fall of 2005.

It was also the Griffins' third straight conference shutout. They have outscored their opponents 306-66 this season, including 262-31 in the six SWSC games. When Lincoln-Way East graduated All-State quarterback Jonas Williams, who is currently at USC, last year, this season's squad wasn't expected to be among the top teams.

But the team is currently ranked No. 2 in the state behind Loyola.

When asked after the game, Lincoln-Way East veteran coach Rob Zvonar used an earlier analogy that his team was a bunch of "Kids left over at the playground." But then he added, "Turns out our playground is pretty good. It's a tribute to these kids and their work ethic."

Yes, that shows in the fact that if the Griffins win their final scheduled game next week, it will be the 12th time since 2005 that they have finished the regular season undefeated. They are currently 261-48 since becoming their own school in 2001, with three State Championships and also a trio of second-place finishes, all of those under Zvonar. That includes an almost unreal record of 110-10 since 2017. So they are currently 100 games above .500, including undefeated Class 8A State Championships in 2017 and 2019, in the past 10 years.

Even with all the Lincoln-Way East accolades, the Porters were obviously disappointed.

"How much better do we need to get?" Lockport senior center Philip Ponterio said after the game. "That 40-0 score is not a good sign to me. We had a great game plan. But you can draw on paper all you want; it comes down to ex*****on.

"They (the Griffins) are just fundamentally sound. We just have to come back and win next week."

Actually, the Porters' game plan started well. Thanks to a big 5-yard tackle for loss by senior lineman Cornell Bass, Lincoln-Way East was forced to punt on the game's opening series.

Lockport then converted a pair of first downs and had a second-and-2 situation near midfield. But couldn't gain another yard and had to punt. The Griffins got in gear and went 68 yards in nine plays. They converted a trio of third downs, the final one being a 22-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Evan LeFevour to senior tight end Lucca Merritt. The snap was high on the conversion kick, leaving the score at 6-0 with 4:43 left in the first quarter.

But then the mistakes started piling up for the Porters. After another first down, they had to punt again. However, the snap went over junior Brennen Malloy's head for a 22-yard loss.

Still, Lockport rebounded from that as senior defensive back Jake Manzo made a great diving interception at the right pylon, giving the ball back to Lockport at its own three.

"On the interception, I knew we needed a big play after the bad snap," Manzo said. "I know we needed a big time stop at the time, and I know I wouldn’t have gotten that pick without Brennon Malloy and Griffin Benson providing pressure (from their linebacker positions)

"They caused a rushed throw. I saw he was scrambling, and I had to lock onto my guy, and luckily he threw it my way. Moving on, I know that we just need to learn from the mistakes we made. We had too many, and East capitalized on each one."

The Porters punted on the first play of the second quarter, and Lincoln-Way East took over at the Lockport 48. Two runs by senior Aidan Cavanaugh (8 carries for 77 yards), including a 39-yard TD scamper, left the score at 14-0 following a 2-point conversion.

That was followed by another three-and-out and another bad snap on a punt. Malloy was able to track it down and attempt a pass, which was incomplete. But the Griffins still took over at the Lockport 28. Two plays later, LeFevour found senior Jayden Cawthon for a 23-yard TD. The conversion run was no good, and it was 20-0 with 9:47 left in the second quarter.

"We had dropped passes and penalties," Czart said. "And I wasn't expecting us to do that on the snaps. Our defense ended up being spread thin and they are so good that it was tough for us to get any momemtum."

Even without a short field, the Griffins scored. They went 91 yards in six plays on their next possession. LeFevour, who was 11-for-17 for 143 yards in the game for three TD's and an interception, went 3-for-3 for 58 yards on the drive. He capped it off by firing a 26-yard scoring pass to junior Jack Murphy, and it was 26-0 with 4:23 left in the second quarter.

The last few minutes weren't kind to the Porters. Although they stopped Lincoln-Way East on downs at the Lockport 23 on the next drive, Bass injured his left shoulder during the series and left the game.

"It's an AC joint sprain, and it hurts like crazy," said Bass following the game and before he went to get it X-rayed. "I was having a great first half too. I hope I can be back next week and it's not season-ending.


"But Lincoln-Way East will capitalize on your mistakes. The goal was to play mistake-free, and we didn't. Mistakes cost us. They had good field position, and they capitalized."

Thanks to two great passes from Griffin Russell to fellow senior Khairi Sias (3 receptions for 85 yards) of 38 and 43 yards, the second one on a second-and-37 play, the Porters moved down to the Lincoln-Way East 13 with seconds to play in the first half.

But trying to make something happen, Russell threw the first of two interceptions on the last play of the first half, leaving the score 26-0. Senior Charlie Palmer had the first pick, and junior Joey Walenga grabbed the second one. Russell finished 14-of-31 for 189 yards. Junior Jaxson Little added four receptions for 59 yards.

"We threw a lot; that was our game plan," Russell said. "I thought our game plan was good. But we had penalties that hurt, and things didn't go our way.

"But Khairi had a great game, and he's going to start to flourish."

Maron Plummer scored from 3 yards out with 9:11 left in the third quarter, and LeFevour capped his day and the scoring by scampering for a 14-yard touchdown run. Senior Tommy McCracken made both conversion kicks, the second of which gave the Griffins 40 points and triggered a running clock with 6:02 left in the third quarter.

There was nearly a Lockport score late in the third quarter. Russell found senior Andrew Maloney for a 59-yard gain down to the one. But it came back because of holding.

Lockport also got bad news that kicker Zane Szynkowski is likely out for the rest of the season with a bad back. Fellow senior Benjamin Marcano took over the kicking duties against the Griffins, but only had one kickoff and no field goal attempts.

Lincoln-Way East finished with 325 total yards. The Porters had 205, including minus 2 on the ground. It was the first time that Lockport had been shut out since a 35-0 opening round Class 8A playoff loss at Maine South on October 27, 2023. The Porters were also blanked by Lincoln-Way East 41-0 on September 29 that season. Lockport scored 14 points in each of the last two years against the Griffins.

"Getting a touchdown was more of a pride thing," Russell said. "It sucks not to get one, but Lincoln-Way East has a great program. They have great players and coaches.

"Now we have to just watch film, have a good week of practice, and get ready for Waubonsie Valley. It's a big game for playoff positioning."

10/09/2026

Thank you to The Rustic Knead and the Kruczak Family for being our week 8 Varsity Breakfast sponsor! 🏈⚓️

10/09/2026

10/08/2026

Lincoln-Way East At Lockport Football Preview

By Randy Whalen

Quick, who won the football conference championship that Lockport Township was in last year?

That was the Blue Division of the Southwest Valley Conference, which was only around for two seasons.

The answer is... Lockport.

Yes, there was a four-way tie between Lincoln-Way East, Lockport, Naperville North, and Sandburg. But in head-to-head competition, the Porters were 2-1 against those teams, while the other three were all 1-2. Thus, Lockport was the conference champion.

After a two-year run, the Southwest Valley dissolved, and the local league is back to being the SouthWest Suburban Conference. Going into this weekend's games, only two teams have an opportunity to win it. Lincoln-Way East and Lockport. Every other team has at least two conference losses.

The Porters (4-3, 4-1) have put themselves in this position with four straight wins. Lincoln-Way East (7-0, 5-0) has been dominant all season, outscoring its opponents 266-66, and is ranked No. 2 in the state on MaxPreps behind Loyola Academy.

"Things have been going good and trending in the right way," Lockport coach George Czart said of his squad. "We are getting better and playing better. The results are there, the expectations are there.

"But now we have to take it and see what we can do against Lincoln-Way East. They're not ranked this high just on reputation; they are that good. Evan LeFevour is a very good quarterback, probably the best we've seen."

While there are nine teams in the league, each team plays six conference games, not eight. That leaves room for three nonconference games. Through seven weeks, seven of the nine SWSC teams have clinched playoff berths, and the other two, Andrew and Stagg, have two wins and could qualify.

So the conference title will come down to this week's game and, despite the odds, the Porters will be ready.

"We are going to be 110 percent through every practice this week," Lockport junior linebacker Jake Durnas said. "We will be ready to bring our all and prove we belong in 8A football."

Durnas has been active on defense as the Porters have registered a pair of shutouts in the last three games. He made several big plays in a Week No. 6 42-21 victory over Bradley-Bourbonnais and in last week's 41-0 win at Andrew, he returned a fumble 21 yards for a touchdown.

Also big on defense were senior linemen Cornell Bass, Benjamin Knoepfle, and Scott McCarthy, along with linebackers senior Griffin Benson and junior Brennen Malloy. Also, senior defensive back Jake Manzo returned to the lineup and had a fumble recovery. Plus, junior Louis Schultz had an interception for the second straight game.

In a four-game winning streak, Lockport had outscored its opponents 169-36. After early struggles, the revamped offensive line featured seniors Marcello Thomas at left tackle, Nick Ontiveros at left guard, Phillip Ponterio at center, sophomore Brayden Mrazek at right guard, and junior Kuba Kruczak at right tackle. Senior Neven Vasvery often subs.

They have allowed quarterback Griffin Russell to throw for 14 touchdowns, including four last week in the winning streak. Fellow senior Andrew Maloney has scored a touchdown in five straight games. Last week, he opened the scoring with a 53-yard TD reception and capped it by returning the second-half kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.

Senior Khairi Sias caught a 42-yard TD pass, and junior Jaxson Little had four receptions for 106 yards, including scoring receptions of 55 and 25 yards.

"We are coming into this week against East on a roll," Little said. "We are ready for the challenge. It is going to take a great week of practice and great preparation physically and mentally.

"Nobody believes in us going into this week, and that is what is going to fuel us for this game. It gonna be tough, but the better-prepared team will come out on top."

The Griffins have a ton of talent again this season. LeFevour looks to fellow juniors Landon Martinez and Jack Murphy, along with seniors Aidan Cavanaugh at running back and Drew Harper at right end/wide receiver. Senior kicker/punter Tommy McCracken hit the game-winning 33-yard field goal in the season-opening 22-21 victory against Brother Rice.

The Lincoln-Way East linebacking crew of junior Ryan Manzke along with seniors Randall Downing, and Colton Zvonar are big. So are seniors Jimeto Okafor and Cameren Stewart on the defensive line, as well as junior Anthony Harris and senior Ontario Pryor in the secondary.

Lincoln-Way East has won 16th SWSC titles since the conference formed in the fall of 2005.

Since 2017, the Griffins have gone 109-10 (through last week), including undefeated Class 8A state titles in 2017 and 2019 and second-place finishes in 2022 and 2023. If they win this week and next, they will have eight undefeated regular seasons since 2017.

They have made the postseason every season since becoming their own school in 2001, have a current record of 260-48, have won three undefeated Class 8A State Championships (2005, 2017, 2019), and have finished second three times (2012 in Class 7A, 2022, and 2023 in Class 8A). All of this has been done under Rob Zvonar, who has been the only head coach in Griffin history.

The Lincoln-Way East winning percentage is .844, easily the best in state history, with teams that have played 250 games or more. That includes an .885 winning percentage (23-3) over the Porters with a 22-game winning streak, which started with a 14-6 victory in the opening round of the 2004 Class 8A playoffs. The Griffins handed Lockport its only loss in the 2021 Class 8A championship season, winning 12-10 on Oct. 15 in Week No. 8 in Lockport.

The Porters will need a huge game to pull off an upset, which they nearly did back on September 19, 2014, losing 28-25 at home to a Lincoln-Way East team that eventually finished 10-2. That and the 2021 game are the only ones in the past 21 years that have been close.

"They are the best offensive team we've seen," Czart said of the Griffins. "They have great players, great coaches, great leadership, and a support system. To beat them, you have to compete with them. About 50 percent of their games are over by halftime. That's how dominant they are."

This Friday's game is the final regular-season home game. It's varsity only, with a 6:15 PM kickoff. The weather is supposed to be outstanding. Earlier rain is supposed to clear out, and it should be about 67 degrees with light winds at kickoff.

"Being this late in the season, there's a finality to it," Czart said of the final home game. "But our crowds have been great, and we want to give them something to cheer on Friday."

10/06/2026

Ten Questions With Lockport Defensive Backs Josh and Matt Kies

By Randy Whalen

Josh and Matt Kies are twin senior defensive backs on the Lockport Township football team. Josh plays free safety, and Matt plays cornerback. They have been instrumental in helping the Porters to a pair of shutouts in their last three games.

After a 0-3 start, the Porters have turned it around the last four weeks. What was the key to the team doing this?
MATT: "We were not happy with how we started. We made a few changes to the team. We've moved people around to different spots and worked as a team."
JOSH: "We are coming off of our fourth straight win, so we are now in the same spot as last year at 4-3. We've just got people in the right spots."

The defense has two shutouts in the last three games. What's been the difference there?
MATT: "I think the mindset is just to do your job. Each guy has done their 1/11th, and that's when the defense does well."
JOSH: "Yes, we have no selfish players. We do our jobs. We have no superstars. We do it for our teammates."


How unique is it that you guys are twins and both play near each other in the secondary? Also, who is older?
MATT: "It's really normal; we're just used to it. Every time I've played football, Josh has been there. So has (fellow senior defensive back) Jake Manzo."
JOSH: "I'm older by two minutes, and I let him know it. But there's a whole lot of trust. I trust him with my life, so I trust him on the field. We've been doing it together a long time."

How long have you guys been playing football?
MATT: "We started playing in the fifth grade for the Junior Porters. Then switched to playing for the Homer Stallions in eighth grade."
JOSH: "For me, it was exactly the same thing. Except I didn't play in eighth grade because I broke my wrist."

Do you guys play any other sport, and if so, which sport do you like better?
MATT: "We both play baseball, and I play infield. I also ran track at Homer Junior High in eighth grade. I'd say I've liked football better since sophomore year."
JOSH: "Yes, in baseball I play outfield. We've both played baseball a long time, since we were eight years old. I really can't choose a favorite. I love both sports."

Matt, you made one of the most memorable plays in Lockport history. You batted down a 2-point conversion pass attempt by Homewood-Flossmoor with 25.7 seconds to play with freezing rain coming down to preserve last season's second-round Class 8A 21-20 home playoff win. Take us through that, and Josh, what was your perspective on it?
MATT: "I was actually out of position, but I saw him (sophomore Xavier Pratt) open in the corner. I sprinted over, dove, and got my fingers on the pass to tip it away. I could barely feel my fingers. It was super cold, and everything felt numb. But my adrenaline took over, and I had to do my job and make a play."
JOSH: "I was on the bench at that time, and I saw the whole thing. I was so excited for my brother and for the team. I was jumping up and down with everyone else."

What have you learned from Lockport football coach George Czart?
MATT: "I've learned so many things. Discipline, being a good teammate, being a good man. We are super fortunate to have him as a coach."
JOSH: "Yes, he's a great guy, a great coach. It's more than football. He's a great man, and he's been around the game for a long time."

What is your favorite class in school?
MATT: "Psychology. I have it last period with Mrs. Maura Doornkaat. She makes it more enjoyable, and I've learned a lot about the human brain."
JOSH: "Stats class with Mr. Daniel Marfise. I like the class and dealing with probabilities. Matt and I don't have any classes together this year."

Are you looking to play football or baseball in college?
MATT: "I don't know. I love playing them, but I haven't made a decision yet. If I do play, I'd rather play football."
JOSH: "I'm in the same boat. I'm looking to get in the medical field, so it would be a lot to play in college. But if I did play in college, it would probably be baseball."

What is the best thing about being an athlete at Lockport?
MATT: "I think Lockport athletics as a whole is great. Every program is good, and the AD (Mike Dwyer) on down is so good with what they do for us. We are always happy with all those things."
JOSH: "I'd have to say we have great coaches, great boosters, everything. As players, we have a brotherhood, and great friends with a great culture."

10/04/2026

Lockport Football Continues To Roll With A 41-0 Victory Over Andrew

By Randy Whalen

Andrew helped Lockport defeat Andrew.

Andrew Maloney and Jaxson Little each scored a pair of touchdowns as the Lockport Township football team continued its roll with another SouthWest Suburban Conference win.

Griffin Russell threw four touchdown passes, and the defense came up with a score. It all added up to a 41-0 victory on Friday, October 2, before a Homecoming crowd at Victor J. Andrew in Tinley Park.

With their fourth straight win, the Porters (4-3, 4-1) guaranteed themselves a playoff berth for the second straight season and the fifth time in the past six years. They will play for the SWSC championship this Friday when they host Lincoln-Way East (7-0, 5-0).

In the four-game winning streak, Lockport had outscored its opponents 169-36 with a pair of shutouts, and Russell, a senior, has thrown for 14 touchdowns.

"Watching the offense open it up like this has been fun," Lockport coach George Czart said. "(Offensive) Coach Kristopher Norton designs some great plays. Our defense has forced turnovers, and special teams has been excellent. It's just fun to watch."

Up at the top of the fun is Maloney. The senior wide receiver never played tackle football until this season. Against Andrew, it was the fifth straight game he's had a TD, and this time it was two.

"Andrew is a very good, talented athlete," Czart said. "We're so glad that he decided to come out and play football. The coaches all mention to each other, ' Who's the one that got him to come out?' But the credit goes to him.

"He's talented, has speed, and looks like he's played all four years. These aren't easy things to accomplish, especially when you haven't played."

After stopping the Thunderbolts (2-5, 1-4) on fourth down from just past midfield, the Porters went to work. On second-and-10, Russell fired a 53-yard touchdown strike to Maloney. Senior Zane Szynkowski added the extra point, and with 7:49 left in the first quarter, it was 7-0.

"It felt great," Maloney said of his opening score. "The pass play was perfect, and it set the tone for the game."

That was Maloney's only reception of the game, but yes, it got everything off to a great start. In the past five games, he has 10 receptions for 176 yards. Three of those have gone for touchdowns. He's also recovered a fumble for a TD and returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns.

"It's crazy," Russell said of Maloney's success. He's worked really hard, and he's hit the ground running. We text each other plays all the time.

"This is a credit to all our guys. Our offensive line has played great, and we've turned it around from 0-3."

While the Porters didn't score on their next possession, junior Brennen Malloy, who doubles at linebacker and the backup quarterback, made a perfect punt to the one.

"Brennen Malloy is a weapon," Czart said. "He's a great punter."

Andrew got out of the shadow of its own goal line and registered a couple of first downs. One of those was a 39-yard pass from Jimmy Reilly (6-of-16, INT, 92 yards) to fellow senior Ian Lopez (2 receptions for 53 yards). But the T-Bolts were forced to punt from exactly midfield.

At least try to. In a wild play, senior Epaminontas Stamus mishandled the snap. The Porters swooped in and tried to recover the ball. But in a crazy sequence, it kept getting batted backward toward the Andrew goal line.

Finally, junior linebacker Jake Durnas, who made several big plays the week before in the 42-21 victory over Bradley-Bourbonnais, swept in, picked it up, and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 9.1 seconds to play in the first quarter.

"Everyone tried to pick up the bouncing ball," Czart said. "It's hard when it kept bouncing like that, but the right guy finally picked it up and took it in. Our secondary and special teams covered very well."


Yes, after a few early penalties, the whole Lockport team did.

"Against Andrew, it was truly a full team effort," Durnas said. "There were so many group efforts that seemed to overcome Andrew completely. The scoop-and-score I had on the punt was an amazing play, but it wasn’t possible without Brennen Malloy getting to that miss-snap as soon as possible. Then (seniors) Cornell Bass and Griffin Benson bobbled the ball around, making my lane to the end zone as easy as possible.

"This Lockport team and our turnaround is all credit to all the coaches, but personally, Coach Czart has had the biggest effect on me as a player. He believes in our whole team and will not let us give less than our best effort."

That best effort showed in the latter half of the second quarter as the Porters scored a trio of TDs in the last 5:48. First, Russell riffled a 42-yard TD pass to fellow senior Khairi Sias (2 receptions for 80 yards), who reached out to make a nice catch on the run. For only the second time this season, the extra point was missed, and the Porters led 20-0.

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Then Russell had a beautiful 55-yard TD pass to Little with 1:53 left in the second quarter, for a 27-0 lead. Lockport got the ball right back at midfield, and once again it was Russell with a 25-yard TD pass to Little. With 30.2 seconds left in the second quarter, the Porters lead 34-0.

Little, a junior, had four receptions for 106 yards. Russell was 7-of-12 for 239 yards, all of those coming in the first half.


"The game was great," Little said. "We were clicking on all cylinders for both sides of the ball, but there are still mistakes (a pair of offside calls and holding in the first quarter) we need to clean up as a team. The two receiving touchdowns and 100-plus yards come from great preparation and getting my mentality right during the week. It also wouldn’t be possible without a leader at quarterback and a great offense around me.

"Griffin has been great! Watching him get better and better every week is really special. Seeing him in the offseason to him now is a crazy good jump. Not just for him but for all of us as a team. We are forming something very special at Lockport."

The specialness continued to open the second half. That's when Maloney took the kickoff and dashed, darted 96 yards for a touchdown. With 11:42 left in the third quarter, Lockport led 41-0, and the game went to a running clock.


"It was the second time this season that Maloney returned the third-quarter kickoff for a TD. He also had a 97-yard scoring return for a TD in Week No. 3's 24-14 loss at Lincoln-Way Central.

"It was nice; I saw blocks perfectly, just like last time," Maloney said of the kickoff return. "I just made one cut, and I was gone. Between Prince Nartey and me being back there, we feel like we can return every kickoff.

"This run has been awesome. It's what we're meant to be the whole time. We're playing as a team, and it's awesome. We feel we can score and that our defense can stop anyone."

Even with substituting freely in the second half, as sophomore quarterback Jimmy White got to attempt a couple of varsity passes, the Porter defense completed their second shutout in three games. They had a pair of shutouts last year, but those were in Week No. 1 and Week No. 12. The last time they had two of them this close together was in the 2021 Class 8A State Title season.

Defensive leaders against Andrew included Bass, Benson, Malloy, and senior linemen Benjamin Knoepfle and Scott McCarthy. Also, senior defensive back Jake Manzo returned to the lineup and had a fumble recovery. Plus, junior Louis Schultz had an interception for the second straight game. This one, midway through the fourth quarter, preserved the shutout.

"Defensively, we gave up our share of points early," Czart said of the season. "But the kids are getting better each game. Louie Schultz had another interception; that's back-to-back games. Jake Manzo did a great job and had a fumble recovery. The turnovers are nice; that's for sure."

While the win was nice and qualifying for the playoffs is nice, the next opponent is Lincoln-Way East this Friday at home. The Griffins are once again a top team in the state, but Lockport will be ready.

"They have a great program and great players," Russell said. "We have to have great practices, and it's always nice to play for a conference championship. Especially after how we started.

"Kudos to our guys for how hard we worked."

10/02/2026

Thank you to Mercedes-Benz of Naperville for being our week 7 Touchdown Sponsor of the Varsity Pasta Dinner 🏈⚓️

Let's Go Porters

10/01/2026

Lockport At Andrew Football Preview

By Randy Whalen

Already a quarter of a century ago, Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Mora had his infamous quote.

"Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs! You kidding me? Playoffs?! I just hope we can win a game!"

Well, thanks to the new Illinois High School Association postseason format, the Lockport Township football team should already be in the playoffs. That's because the Porters have won some games. Three in a row, in fact, and it's thought that three wins will get you into the postseason.

"I don't care, as long as we're in," Lockport coach George Czart said when asked if he thought the team was in with three wins. "But yes, I hope we are still counting victories."

The Porters (3-3, 3-1) hope for another SouthWest Suburban Conference victory this week. They will have to do that on the road, at Andrew (2-4, 1-3) this Friday.

"I expect it to go well," Lockport senior wide receiver Khairi Sias said of the matchup. "We just have to execute and not make mistakes with penalties. Our (Week No. 3) loss to Lincoln-Way Central was a big wake-up call."

That shows because Lockport was outscored 87-49 in the first three games. In the past three games, the Porters have outscored their opponents 128-36. On the season, the Thunderbolts have been outscored 188-98.

"They run the option play a lot," Czart said. "They might not be as explosive running the ball as in the past, but they are passing the ball a little more. They have a good coach (Adam Lewandowski), and they will be ready to play."

This is Lewandowski's 11th season as coach of the T-Bolts. They have made the playoffs six times since 2017, including the past two years.

Andrew's two wins this season were 21-18 in the season opener at home against Oak Forest. The other one was 34-6 in Week No. 4 at home against Stagg.

In the Stagg game, senior quarterback Jimmy Reilly threw two touchdown passes, including a 17-yard score to Adrian Garcia and another to fellow junior Luke Lewandowski. Senior Declan Murphy scored twice on short rushes of one yard and two yards. Garcia also added an eight-yard touchdown run.

On defense, the T-Bolts look to seniors Anthony Ferrentino on the line, Tyler Ipema at free safety, Nick Rociola at middle linebacker/defensive end, and Grant Ruppert at linebacker, along with junior Mikey Rogers at defensive end.

So the T-Bolts have some talent. But the Lockport defense has stepped up to the challenge in the last few games. Junior linebacker Jake Durnas, along with senior linebacker Griffin Benson and lineman Cornell Bass, made several big plays.

Plus, when senior defensive back Jake Manzo went out with a hand injury, junior defensive back Louie Schultz stepped in and had a forced fumble and an interception.

"Jake has a cast on his hand, but is expected to play," Czart said of this week. "Louie Schultz made some nice plays in place of Jake.

"We always take that next man up mentality. We teach good fundamentals and want our best guys on the field who have those."

Senior quarterback Griffin Russell was 12-of-18 for 188 yards and three TDs in last week's 42-21 victory over Bradley-Bourbonnais. Two of those were to junior Jaxson Little (4 receptions for 72 yards) and one to Sias. Russell now has 10 touchdown passes in his last three games.

"Griffin is playing well and has a lot of zip on his ball," Czart said. "But he's only as good as the time the line in front of him gives him."

The line has also opened up holes for junior Prince Nartey (17 carries for 66 yards), along with seniors Hayden Phillips (11 carries for 103 yards, TD) and Rory Radarz (6 carries for 22 yards) in last week's win against the Boilermakers.

Being on the road this week, the sophomore team plays first at 5 PM, and the varsity is scheduled for 7:15 PM. The fall weather will be there. It's supposed to be 57 degrees at kickoff, dipping into the low 50s by game's end, with light winds but almost no chance of rain.

This is the first meeting between the two teams since 2023 and the first time the Porters have played at Andrew since 2022, which was a 28-27 double-overtime loss.

"We have to be the road warriors," Czart said. "We are in the playoffs, but if we get five or six wins, we believe we can get a first-round playoff game at home. So we have to just keep going."