'D' difference for Red Devils

August 24, 2006 | By Sean Duncan

It took until the fourth quarter for No. 17 Hinsdale Central's offense to click. But the way the Red Devils' defense performed, it didn't matter.

Led by lineman Jack DiNardo and linebacker Matt Kajmowicz, Hinsdale Central blanked host Evanston 16-0 in a nonconference game Saturday.

Hinsdale Central, which led 3-0 going into the fourth quarter, forced three turnovers and limited the Wildkits to 41 yards of offense in the second half.

''We came into the game knowing the defense had a lot on our shoulders,'' said the 6-4, 245-pound DiNardo, who had two sacks and three tackles for losses.

The Red Devils had only 29 first-half yards, but they picked up the pace in the fourth quarter. Mike Imke's seven-yard touchdown run with 9:11 remaining provided breathing room. Then Zach Leathers hit Steve Morris for a 16-yard scoring strike to ice the game.

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