| HINSDALE CENTRAL 21, DOWNERS GROVE NORTH 6 Fill-in fills the bill Backup stands out in secondary, scores on blocked punt By Bob Sakamoto Tribune staff reporter September 29, 2007, 9:49 PM CDT THinsdale Central came into the storied 72-year rivalry Saturday against Downers Grove North minus its starting cornerbacks, just like the Bears are about to do against the pass-happy Detroit Lions on Sunday. The Red Devils inserted junior reserve running back Rich Zajeski into the secondary, and his heroics led Hinsdale Central to a 21-6 victory at Dickinson Field in Hinsdale. "I looked up, the ball was coming down and I just grabbed it," Zajeski said about the blocked punt he returned 40 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. "What was I thinking? Touchdown." Billy Auriemma scored from the 1-yard line on fourth down just before halftime to provide Hinsdale (5-1, 3-0 West Suburban Silver) with a 14-0 lead. Downers North (1-5, 0-3) finally scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Thomas Benton to Arthur Gutzke with 1 minute 48 seconds left in the game. On the Trojans' next possession, Benton lofted a pass to an open James Gaston, only to have Zajeski close at the last moment and break up a potential touchdown pass. "This is only my second game playing cornerback, and it's embarrassing when a guy gets open behind you," Zajeski said. "We had a feeling Downers North would attack our cornerbacks. "I was lucky the ball was a little underthrown." Luck had nothing to do with a Red Devils defense that sacked Benton three times for losses of 21 yards and allowed the third-string QB to complete just 11 of 24 passes for 78 yards. Starting quarterback David Stachura is out with a broken leg, and backup Andrew Orton suffered a hand injury last week. "We have a good offense, and we knew they would score some points," said junior defensive lineman Pat Clegg, who had a sack. "It was up to the defense to hold them down." The two schools have been battling for the Old Oaken Bucket since 1935, when Downers beat Hinsdale 18-0. After Saturday's game, Trojans captains Orton and Gutzke — whose fathers had gone to Hinsdale Central — presented the treasured keepsake to the Red Devils. bsakamoto@tribune.com Copyright © 2007, The Chicago Tribune http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/highschool/cs-070929hinsdale,0,7602427.story?track=rss
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