Friday Night Lights is coming to District 205, home to Thornton, Thornwood and Thornridge high schools.
For Thornton and Thornwood, the lights will go on this Friday, marking the first time the
Wildcats will play a night game in Harvey since 1979 and the first time ever for the Thunderbirds.
Thornton will host Lincoln-Way West. Thornwood rolls out the red carpet for Andrew. Both games will kick off at 7 p.m.
At Thornridge, night football will have to wait until Oct. 12. The Falcons haven’t played a home night game since the early 1990s.
“Yes, I’m excited and the kids are excited,” Thornton coach Bill Mosel said. “From the kids’ standpoint, they now feel like everybody else in conference.”
Thornton will have additional parking in its Driver’s Ed lot and at the south end of its main building to accommodate fans.
Andrew on a roll
Since a season-opening 30-23 loss to archrival Sandburg, Andrew has ripped off four straight wins, including consecutive shutouts of Lincoln-Way West (17-0) and Thornridge (49-0).
According to Thunderbolts coach Jim Malec, the streak boils down to two things: focus and execution.
“That’s been the key on both sides of the ball and special teams,” Malec said. “The kids took a good, close look at themselves after the Sandburg game. They thought they could have won that game.”
The Sandburg game marked the first time Andrew’s junior class had lost. It had gone a combined 18-0 as freshmen and sophomores.
Andrew has had to overcome injuries, namely to the offensive line. But a combination of
Phil Stearns, Ryan Supple, David Nevin, Adam Hepp, Jordan Hovel and Jon Brann have allowed the T-Bolts offense to remain productive.
The trio of quarterback Jacob Platt, running back Jarvion Franklin and receiver Dennis Vilimek has been outstanding.
Malec also praised his defense, led by lineman Fred Kassal, linebackers Kevin Walsh and Kwincy Daniels and safety Dan Durkin.
“This is a special group of kids,” Malec said. “It’s been a fun and exciting experience so far.”
