Thornwood tacks on 20 unanswered, takes down Rich South

THE SKINNY

Trailing 12-7 following an odd Rich South touchdown with no time on the clock to end the first half, Thornwood (1-1) rattled off 20 unanswered points in the second half to win the nonconference game Saturday in Richton Park. The Thunderbirds ran for 194 yards overall to the Stars’ 40 yards.

TURNING POINT

Thornwood’s Ty Samaniego recovered a Rich South fumble near midfield early in the third. The Thunderbirds capitalized, capping a five-minute drive with Travis Roberson slamming his way into the end zone for a seven-yard score. Roberson’s two-point conversion put Thornwood up 15-12.

THE STAR

Roberson, a junior running back, ran the ball 17 times for 82 yards and three rushing scores (6, 7 and 1 yards). His third score put the Thunderbirds up 21-12 with six minutes remaining in the game.

BY THE NUMBERS

Thornwood defensive back Brian Smith picked off Rich South quarterback Darius Anthony (122 passing yards, two TDs) twice. As time expired in the first half, Anthony was hit, but receiver Marion Waltower snatched the ball out of the air and ran it in for the score. Sean Blunt had a 33-yard touchdown catch for the Stars (1-1).

QUOTABLE

“We came out in the second half trying to pound it down their throats. Don’t put the ball in the air, just pound, pound, pound running. We wanted to get that win, feel good about the team and what we’re doing.” — Roberson