Johnsburg starts fast with big plays, downs Hyde Park 54-8 in IHSA Class 4A opener

CHICAGO – Johnsburg coach Sam Lesniak had one point of emphasis before his team’s Class 4A playoff opener Saturday: start fast.

The Skyhawks offense had struggled to get started for much of the regular season and usually needed a few drives to build momentum.

Johnsburg picked a perfect time to buck the trend, scoring on its second play of the game and its first four possessions against Hyde Park to advance to the second round with a 54-8 win.

“It was great to see the kids have confidence right away,” Lesniak said. “It was awesome, it was huge. Don’t ever take for granted a playoff victory.”

The Skyhawks (6-4) took an early 7-0 lead when Jake Metze caught a screen pass and took it 49 yards to score 38 seconds into the game. Johnsburg scored on its next drive when quarterback Anthony Bravieri dumped another screen pass to Nicholas LoPresti, who took it 61 yards to give the Skyhawks a 14-0 lead with 7:53 left in the opening quarter.

Johnsburg didn’t shy away from getting the ball to its playmakers and Metze scored on his team’s third drive on a 68-yard run to make it 20-0 Johnsburg after a missed extra point with 4:01 left in the first quarter. He then scored again on the next drive with a 52-yard touchdown run to make it 26-0 after a missed two-point conversion with 6:57 left in the second quarter.

“We’ve got a whole lot of playmakers,” Metze said. “If we’re in space, there’s a good chance we’re scoring. We’ve got a lot of guys who can make plays and it’ll be hard to stop us moving forward.”

Metze added his fourth overall touchdown in the third quarter on an 11-yard run and Kyle Mueller and Brett Centnarowicz each scored on a run and Braden Olson caught a touchdown in the second half.

Bravieri completed 15 of his 26 pass attempts for 363 yards while Metze finished with 187 receiving yards on five catches and one touchdown and added 77 rushing yards on six runs and three scores.

Olson had 78 receiving yards on five catches while LoPresti finished with 61 receiving yards on one catch.

Bravieri said the Skyhawks focused on playing with a quick tempo and scoring on the second play of the game helped build momentum.

“It’s very motivating,” Bravieri said. “It’s very exciting and gets a good mindset in your brain for the rest of the game to start off well.”

Hyde Park (9-1) struggled to gain much momentum and push past the Skyhawks defensive line. The Thunderbirds had 62 total yards in the first half and finished with 126.

Wilhelm Lord finished the day with 74 rushing yards and scored in the fourth quarter on a 5-yard run.

“They did outstanding,” Lesniak said of his defense. “Guys played aggressive, they tackled well, they forced turnovers. Every time you saw someone go down to the ground, it was typically with seven, eight white jerseys finishing up the play. When you can get seven, eight guys to the ball, that’s a good thing.”

Johnsburg will host Rochelle in the second round of the 4A north bracket. The Skyhawks lost 60-35 in Week 3 this season and they’re excited to use their familiarity to their advantage as they try to advance to the quarterfinals.

“It’s always a good matchup,” Lesniak said. “It’s always a battle and they’ve got some great players over there right now, they’re coached really well, so I’m looking forward to it.”