Sycamore empties bench with second straight blowout to open postseason

CHICAGO – For the second week in a row, Sycamore posted a convincing playoff win played under a running clock for the entirety of the second half.

On Saturday against Westinghouse, the Spartans scored 10 touchdowns thanks in large part to some big plays by their backups in a 69-12 victory in a Class 5A second-round contest.

Thanks in part to a kickoff return touchdown for Crewe Bartelt, a long touchdown run by Caden Ralph and an interception by Mason Meisner, the Spartans will face St. Francis at home in the third round next week in a quarterfinal matchup.

“I only get a certain amount of plays,” said Bartelt, a sophomore running back and defensive back with 11 carries this year. “I have to really work hard to really show how good I am. It really gives me an opportunity to show my skills.”

Sycamore (11-0) dominated from the start, forcing a fumble on the opening kickoff and starting on the Westinghouse 15.

The Spartans’ first six drives were all on fields of 46 yards or less and were all touchdowns. They closed the first half on a sustained 91-yard drive in less than 4 minutes to take a 49-0 lead into the break.

Dylan Hodges had 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Burke Gautcher was 4 for 5 with four touchdown passes, all 35 yards or longer. Sycamore had 333 yards of total offense in the first half, holding the Warriors to 66.

“He threw a really nice ball, but obviously to do that the offensive line has to give him protection,” Sycamore coach Joe Ryan said. “The only one he didn’t have great protection on was the last one he got, but the other ones he could step up and feel comfortable in the pocket. "

Then the backups got their time to shine, starting with the second-half kickoff. Bartelt picked up a line-drive kickoff at the 23, followed his blockers and pushed the lead to 56-0.

“Once he kicked and it was going past, I’m like, ‘I’m going to pick this up,’,” Bartelt said. “I saw black [Westinghouse’s jersey colors], so I just kind of shimmied my way through the hole, and I was off.”

Westinghouse scored its first touchdown on the next drive, but Ralph broke off his 55-yard run with 7:33 left in the third quarter and extended the lead to 63-6. The Warriors (6-5) answered back with another touchdown drive late in the third, but Jayson Panganiban had a 5-yard touchdown run to push the lead back to 69-12.

“Obviously those are some young kids that want to be starters in the future,” Ryan said. “So they get some time, and they get a feel of what these types of games are about. And they did a nice job of performing.”

The Warriors still had time for another score, but Meisner came up with his interception.

“It was my first time playing outside backer, and I was just looking at the ball and saw it coming,” said Meisner, a junior who usually plays middle linebacker.

After that, the Spartans kneeled three times to run out the clock. It was the first possession on which Sycamore did not score a touchdown.

Sycamore outgained the Warriors 431-137. A big part of that was Gautcher and the passing game in the first half.

On a third-and-14 on the second series of the game, Gautcher hit Carter York on a short screen, and the receiver weaved through the defense for a 46-yard touchdown catch. On the next two series, Gautcher threw deep bombs on the first play to Aidan Wyzard for a 40-yard score and Josiah Mitchell for a 42-yard touchdown.

Cooper Bode added a 2-yard touchdown run, then the Spartans put together the 91-yard drive late in the first half. Gautcher finished it off by scrambling and finding Mitchell for a 35-yard catch-and-run and 49-0 lead at the break.

“They kind of gave us some coverages that were beneficial to what we want to do at times,” Ryan said. “Burke threw some really nice balls, and we ran some good routes. And you’ve got to get some good defensive stops to be able to put yourself in that situation, and then to start the game with the turnover and a short field that also helps.”