The numbers point to the Evanston High School football team defensive transformation being a resounding success.
With several new starters along the defensive line, the Wildkits, featuring sophomores Connor Groff and Zach Myers and recent offensive line convert Quentin Ivory surrendered just 262 yards rushing in their recent 28-7 demolition of run-heavy Glenbrook South in Central Suburban League South play.
The win assured the Wildkits (6-2) of having the requisite six wins needed to qualify for postseason competition. With a win over Niles North in their regular season finale, Evanston could even host a Class 8A playoff game.
The Wildkits held Glenbrook to less than five yards a carry, a feat coach Mike Burzawa admitted was far easier said than done.
“I told our guys that nothing’s easy, and I didn’t think for a second that this game was going to be easy,” Burzawa told the Evanston Now. “Workmanlike is a really good way to describe the way we played. It was a case of next man up for us with the changes we made. We had a lot of new faces get some experience on the defensive line, and if we as coaches feel we have to make adjustments in our personnel or in our defensive scheme, we feel like we have the depth this year to do that.”
Safety Mike Axelrood led Evanston with 14 solo tackles, 4 assists, and 2 passes broken up, while Gerrad Lamour added an interception and Danny White recovered a fumble.
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