On Friday, September 1, the Libertyville varsity football team dominated the Bulldogs on Wildcat turf, with a final score of 34-14. The win over the team from Oak Lawn boosted Libertyville’s record to 2-0, following a 22-13 win over Lemont the week before.

First Half: Lead-Building
The Wildcats and the Bulldogs both started with grit, but the home team ultimately had what it took as sophomore Blaise LaVista (4), aided by a clean 10-yard pass from junior and quarterback Quinn Schambow (7), overcame the toughened Richards defense and got his first touchdown of the night, followed by a successful one-point conversion from junior Benjamin Ratner (18).
LaVista said that the hardest physical aspect of the game is “getting hit play after play and getting up like you didn’t get touched.”
While the Libertyville offense was strong, the defense held as well. The Bulldogs fought back offensively, as senior Paul Parker (9), a fullback and tight end, attempted to rush, but was quickly brought down by Libertyville senior Hayden Koonce (5).
The Wildcats continued to grow their lead in the form of another touchdown scored by junior Stevan Gavric (11), who previously scored Libertyville’s first touchdown of the year with a catch during the Lemont game. A two-point conversion was added to Gavric’s touchdown, making the score 15-0 in favor of Libertyville.
The energy shown from the Wildcats during the game was unbeatable, and not just through the offense. Throughout the game, the defense secured strong defensive plays from both senior Charlie Clark (34) and junior Caleb Baczek (23).
After regaining possession of the ball, the game’s dynamic duo of Schambow and LaVista scored another touchdown, giving the sophomore LaVista his second touchdown for the game.
“My favorite moment of the game was scoring right before half and having the whole team and stadium hyped up,” LaVista said.
A two yard rush by Clark ended the first half of the game, with a score of 21-0 in favor of the Wildcats.

Second Half: Bringing it Home
The home team continued to play hard in the second half of the game that built on the first half’s momentum.
A 55-yard punt from Schambow left the Bulldogs in dangerous Wildcat territory. Richards senior and wide receiver Riley Lamphere (11) ran the ball in an attempt to change the current outcome for the Bulldogs, but was quickly stopped by Libertyville’s Baczek.
Even with the strong lead, the Wildcats had to stay persistent, as the Bulldogs did not back down easily. A touchdown followed by a successful conversion earned the Bulldogs their first points of the night, putting them on the board. Junior Myles Mitchell (5) gained possession of the ball once more, but was shut down by Clark. With possession of the ball once again, Libertyville’s Gavric scored his second touchdown of the game, growing Libertyville’s lead to 27-7.
The 20-point lead, even far from home, was not taken lightly by the Bulldogs, and they earned their second touchdown of the night, followed by another successful conversion. The Bulldogs came closer to breaking the Wildcat lead, but still not close enough. Thanks to the skills of juniors Josh Holst (9) and Damarion Baker (30), another touchdown grew the Libertyville lead by another six points, seven after the conversion from Ratner.
The Wildcats could not have gotten two consecutive wins to start the season had it not been for their intense efforts and ability to persist in tough times.

“If you had one bad play, you just forget about it,” said junior Max Frazin (68). “You have many, many more to play.”
With two feel-good home wins, Libertyville will be playing their first away and conference game next week, as they face the Warren Township Blue Devils on Friday, September 8.