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Football: Sandburg Offense Explodes in Rout of Stagg

Sandburg 37, Stagg 0: Mike Rago rushes for two touchdowns; Eagles defense thwarts several scoring chances to post shutout

Breaking It Down: , a completely different Sandburg offensive attack showed up in a 37-0 victory at Stagg on Friday night. Eagles quarterback Anthony Adams was 7-of-8 passing for 115 yards and a TD, and he rushed the ball six times for 45 yards. Sandburg was dominant on defense as well, forcing two fumbles and turning away Stagg on 4th-and-2 in the red zone with just under one minute remaining to preserve the shutout. Mike Rago (3, 5 yards) had two of the Eagles' four rushing touchdowns, while Lemonte Booker (36 yards) and Alec Melone (1 yard) added TD runs. Dan Rey had a 15-yard TD catch.

Patch's MVP: Anthony Adams, Sandburg. Adams was 7-of-8 for 115 yards passing and one touchdown, and had six carries for 45 yards to lead the offensive attack.

Sandburg Stat Pack: Mike Rago rushed for just 16 yards but found pay dirt twice. Lemonte Booker had 39 yards rushing, including a 36-yard touchdown. The Eagles defense held Stagg to four first downs.

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Stagg Stat Pack: Quarterback Steve Kubiak had 35 yards passing, his only completion to running back Alan Jones. Quarterback Nick Murphy had three carries for 17 yards, while running back Joe Falk carried four times for 15 yards.

Quotable I: Stagg coach Brian Buglio on the offense's inability to score: "Our mixed offense is the core of what we do, but (falling short) has been the story of our first two weeks. Everything we have put together, we've stopped ourselves, either by fumbles or penalties. As much as we've run into good teams, I believe we've been shooting ourselves in the foot."

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Quotable II: Sandburg coach Dave Wierzal on his team's offensive turnaround: "Last week, we felt like we didn't play the way we were capable of. There was some pressure on us to execute better and be smarter, and I think the kids amped it up. I was really happy with how we played."

Team Records: improves to 2-0. falls to 0-2.

What's Next: Both teams open conference play on the road. Sandburg heads to Joliet West on Saturday, while Stagg faces Andrew on Friday night.

Scores of Note: Morris 28, Richards 16. For more scores, visit IHSA ScoreZone.


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