Sure, playing under the lights on Friday night has its charm, its own allure.
On the other hand, playing on Monday certainly seems to agree with Stagg.
Playing on a Monday for the second time this season, the Chargers finished out a 40-0 win over host Joliet Central in a SouthWest Suburban Blue game.
“Friday Night Lights, you can’t beat it, but we’re playing football,” Stagg’s Jack Duffner said. “It almost feels like we’re an NFL team, 2-0 on the road on Mondays.”
Stagg defeated Hillcrest 28-14 Week 1 after its Friday game was postponed twice due to weather. The Chargers held a 20-0 lead Saturday at Joliet Central when the game was postponed because of lightning.
“I would much rather be playing than practicing,” Stagg quarterback Adam Pilota said with a smile. “It’s another day to play football.”
Holding a 20-0 lead, Stagg (3-3, 1-3) recovered an attempted onside kick by Central. Playing with a shortened field, the Chargers scored on Pilota’s 54-yard run off a fake handoff.
“We didn’t think of it as ‘We’re up 20-0,’” Pilota said. “We were excited to come out (and play). Let’s have some fun.”
Duffner added his own score later in the third, a four-yard run up the left side. Pilota finished with two scores on the ground on 11 carries good for 84 rushing yards. Duffner finished with two scores of his own, ending with 54 yards on nine carries.
“It was our game plan to come out strong from the get-go,” Duffner said. “Scoring early was definitely the goal.”
Scoring all six of its touchdowns on the ground, Stagg out-gained the Steelmen 217 yards to 33 yards on the ground. Neal Tre’vion finished with 24 rushing yards on five carries for Joliet Central (0-6, 0-4).
