RBÂ Â Â Â Â Â 63
Fenton 19
Even after being outscored 129-49 and going 0-3 to start the season, Riverside Brookfield football coach Otto Zeman remained patiently optimistic that his team would find its way.
On Friday night in Bensenville, RB (4-3, 4-0 Metro Suburban Conference) proved that not only is patience a virtue but it’s a big part of the team’s offense. The Bulldogs rolled to a 63-19 victory over Fenton.
Sharing his coach’s upbeat view about their offense’s immense potential, quarterback Billy VandeMerkt enjoyed a brilliant performance against the host Bison, completing 30-of-38 passes for 516 yards and a career-high eight touchdown passes. The strong-armed junior has completed 64 percent of his passes (193-for-302), while throwing for 2,295 yards and 23 touchdowns this season.
“We really played well on offense by having good blocking and receivers making catches,” VandeMerkt said. “Fenton played us tough [last time] so for us to blow them out of the water is a good sign of our development. We feel like we are getting better every week.”
Before VandeMerkt and his deep crew of wide receivers took over, Fenton (3-4, 2-2) actually drew first blood on the scoreboard. Ricky Prignano, who ran for a pair of touchdowns in the teams’ first meeting [RB 27-16 win], tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to wideout Vince Esposito to give the Bison an early 6-0 advantage. Joe Swon of Riverside Brookfield blocked the extra point attempt.
With 3:44 left in the first quarter, VandeMerkt threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to his favorite target, Will Lusthoff, to pull the Bulldogs even at 6-6. From there, the Bulldogs dominated Fenton with a 56-13 run over three quarters.
VandeMerkt connected on three more scoring strikes to Lusthoff (8 catches, 220 yards), tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Jesse Favela (6 catches, 92 yards) and a 43-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Rodriguez. Dave Lutz (5 catches, 87 yards) and Tyler Wienke also hauled in receptions for scores.
By sweeping Fenton, the Bulldogs are assured of at least a share of the Metro conference title.
RB takes on host Elmwood Park Friday (7 p.m.). The Bulldogs rocked the Tigers 47-0 to earn a Homecoming win at Shuey Stadium on Sept. 26.