Nick Michalek, Sandwich rebound from loss, rush past Woodstock

SANDWICH – On just his third touch of the night, Sandwich running back Nick Michalek took a handoff to his right and saw nothing but green grass.

He put his foot in the ground and followed his lead blocker (who happened to be his quarterback) 70-yards to the end zone to give the Indians a two-possession lead in the first quarter.

“My offensive line opened up the hole really well,” Michalek said. “I saw a pancake on the ground, hurdled over that and after that there was no one there.”

Michalek accrued 70 of his 132 all-purpose yards on that rush, helping Sandwich defeat Woodstock 28-14 in a critical Kishwaukee River Conference clash.

Sandwich (4-3, 4-1 KRC) took its opening drive the distance, going 72 yards in 4:40. Diego Gomez rushed for 32 yards on the drive, 28 of which came on the first play from scrimmage. The drive was punctuated by a Kai Pon 6-yard touchdown rush.

Woodstock’s (3-4, 2-3 KRC) ensuing possession seemed promising, but it stalled out at midfield after a tackle for loss by Sandwich’s Jeffrey Ashley, one of two tackles for loss he recorded on the night.

“It’s just execution,” Woodstock coach Mike Brasile said about his team’s offensive struggles. “It’s [also] belief and will.

Already up a score, the Indians took over in Woodstock territory. The Sandwich offense got the ball to the Woodstock 30, and Michalek took care of the rest.

“It’s something he’s done many times before,” Sandwich coach Kris Cassie said. “He’s a great running back.”

Michalek carried the ball six times for 99 yards with a touchdown, adding another 33 yards in the air on two receptions.

He also held down the outside linebacker position, recording two tackles and a pass breakup.

“My freshman year I played safety, so I’ve played both ways before,” Michalek said. “I don’t think it’s too big of a transition because when I’m covering receivers it’s just like I’m playing safety, but I have to be more physical.”

Michalek and the Sandwich defense held the Blue Streaks to just 104 yards of offense in the first half.

The Blue Streaks cut the lead in half midway through the second quarter with a 32-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Caden Thompson to Matthew Cress.

“We saw an opportunity there we knew we could take advantage of,” Brasile said. “It’s something we work on every day.”

Sandwich would get the seven points back on a three-yard touchdown from Gomez, set up by a 27-yard rush by Simeion Harris and a 15-yarder by Michalek.

“Being up 21-7 at the half is huge for morale,” Cassie said. “It kind of puts the other team in a bind.”

The halftime lead was critical for the Indians. Woodstock possessed the ball for 17:20 of the 24 minutes in the second half, mustering just seven points that came with only five seconds left in the game.

“This week our focus was getting back to solid, disciplined Sandwich football,” Cassie said. “They took that to heart. Excellent senior leadership held us accountable all week. Maybe that was the kind of game we needed going forward.”

Sandwich extended its lead to three possessions on its first possession of the third quarter courtesy of Gomez’s second touchdown carry of the night, this one from just a yard out.

Gomez finished the game with 70 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns.

As time dwindled in regulation, Woodstock got back on the board with a one-yard touchdown rush from Landen Stoltz. Stoltz carried the ball 17 times for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Stewart Reuter led the Blue Streaks with 17 carries for 70 yards.

With the victory, Sandwich needs just one more victory in its last two contests to secure a bid to the playoffs. The Indians face off with Woodstock North next week, a team that will enter the matchup at 6-1.

“We’re going to have to be very fundamentally sound,” Cassie said. “This one’s going to be about who executes. It’s going to be an exciting one.”

After tonight’s loss, Woodstock needs to win out to guarantee a spot in the postseason.

“We’re not out of it by any means,” Brasile said. “I feel like we are a playoff team, we just have to play like it.”

Michalek shares similar beliefs about his squad.

“If we just keep playing low and keep playing physically, I think our team has plenty of firepower,” he said. “I think it all comes down to how low we play on defense and how fundamental we play.”