The Riverside Brookfield football team may be down, but don’t count the Bulldogs out just yet.
Despite a 32-26 loss at Fenton last week, RB coach Otto Zeman is convinced his team will win its last three regular-season games to earn a playoff spot. The Bulldogs (2-4, 1-2 Metro Suburban League), who were favored in the preseason to win the newly aligned league, now find themselves in the unenviable position of having to rattle off three straight wins.
“We looked much better on both sides of the ball against Fenton, but we couldn’t manage to get the win,” Zeman said. “We are improving, especially defensively, which is fortunate because we have to be sound defensively to win the last three games of the season. Still, I think if we play to our potential we can still have a great season.”
Against Fenton, however, the Bulldog defense faltered in the last seven minutes, which was the downfall. After a scoreless third quarter, the Bulldogs broke things open early in the fourth when second-string quarterback Lucas Hackel connected on a 75-yard touchdown pass with Mike Razniewski to notch the score at 26-20. But the lead was short-lived, with Fenton scoring two unanswered touchdowns in the last seven minutes to seal the win.
The Bulldogs found themselves playing catch up from the get-go, when Fenton ran the opening kickoff back for a score. The touchdown energized the Fenton Homecoming crowd and spelled trouble for RB. Still, the Bulldogs collected themselves and marched down the field, capping the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run by senior running back Austin Batter.
Fenton then extended its lead to 14-6 early in the second quarter. The Bulldogs answered with 23-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Chris Pesek to senior wideout Dragon Milic. Pesek then connected with Razniewski for the 2-point conversion, but a Bulldog fumble on their own 3-yard line allowed Fenton to leap ahead again 20-14. Pesek finished with 265 passing yards and three interceptions. Zeman readily admits that his quarterback must reduce his turnovers if the Bulldogs have any chance to win the next three crucial games.
“We now need to win our last three games to make the playoffs and I have complete faith that we are going to win,” Zeman said. “It is also a fact that our offense runs through Pesek and we need him to step up. We’ve got Elmwood Park, Ridgewood and Fenton and I know we can win out.”
