With less than four minutes to play in the first half of last Friday’s tilt against Sandburg, Lincoln-Way East led by a score. The Griffins’ lead was never truly threatened, and there was no sense of panic from Rob Zvonar’s group. But against a 2-4 Sandburg team, which a week earlier had been pummeled 48-0 by Homewood-Flossmoor, the Griffins’ 21-14 lead seemed insufficient.
But in that final four-minute stretch before the break, the Griffins revealed the identity of their team. And they proved that any opponent looking to knock them out in the postseason will need to hold down a lethal offense that’s only getting stronger as the year progresses.
It began when running back Nigel Muhammad made a cutback on a run to the left and turned up field, going 57 yards for a score on the Griffins’ first play after Sandburg’s touchdown. It was Muhammad’s 11th rushing score of the year on just 66 carries, and it pushed the lead back to 29-14.
The offense was hardly finished in the first half. A fumble by the Eagles set up the Griffins inside their opponent’s territory, and on their first play from scrimmage on that drive Jake Arthur connected with Jeremy Nelson down the seam for six. The Eagles punted with a little more than a minute left in the half, and on a third and 14 Arthur went up top to Max Shafer for a 52-yard score. In the blink of an eye the Griffins went from up seven to up four scores.
“I think we’ve searched for an identity for quite a while now, and I think we’re settling in on an identity,” Zvonar said. “It really starts with an explosive offense and everybody else is trying to keep up with them. Our offense seems like there’s a lot of weapons and sometimes not enough footballs to go around. And that’s a good problem to have.”
The Griffins have scored at least 30 points in each game this season, and are averaging 44.2 points through seven games. That’s 10 points higher than their impressive mark of 34.2 points per game last season, and they’ve topped 40 points in each of their last four games, including a 64-point outing in that win over Sandburg. They scored 30 points in a loss to Homewood-Flossmoor in Week 3, but it was a stark difference from the lone field goal they managed in a loss to the Vikings a year earlier.
Perhaps the most impressive part of the Griffins’ offense is that they’ve done it with a host of newcomers. Quarterback Jake Arthur transferred from Lincoln-Way North, as did starting offensive lineman Jake Buhe. The Griffins worked diligently in the offseason to get those newcomers (and junior starters) up to speed, but they couldn’t have known what they had until they played under the Friday night lights for the first time.
“We’ve done plenty of things to help this chemistry and this bond together and I think at this point in the season we’ve found our identity,” wide receiver Nick Zelenika said. “I even think we found it before the season started, and I think we’ve got to continue with that, with the team chemistry, and that will help us reach our goals.”
The Griffins have as balanced an attack as there is in the state, both in talent and numbers. Their top three rushers – Muhammad, Brendan Morrissey and Ryan Scianna, have carried the ball 152 times in six games. Arthur and Max Shafer, who split time at quarterback, have attempted 177 passes. Add in the two quarterback’s own 24 carries, and the Griffins’ first teamers have combined for 176 runs and 177 passes.
The three-headed monster in the backfield is led by Muhammad, who is averaging better than seven yards per carry to along with his 11 scores. Morrissey has averaged six yards per attempt, and found the end zone five times on just 46 carries. Scianna is averaging four yards per carry and scored three times.
“It’s crucial having three running backs because we always have someone fresh with fresh legs in the game,” Morrissey said. “We don’t want to have to wear one running back down. We don’t want to have to have Nigel in the game every single play. We’re always at an advantage having a new running back in almost every series.”
The running attack has been superb, running behind senior captain Sam Diehl and Co. But the passing attack has supplied the most damage. Arthur has grabbed the reins as East’s starter, helped in part by Shafer’s ability to play receiver on the outside; Shafer has thrown seven touchdowns and caught seven passes.
Arthur’s ability to spread the ball to a host of talented wideouts has been a nightmare for opposing defenses. Senior Jeremy Nelson has stepped up as the No. 1 target, averaging nearly 17 yards on his 36 receptions and a team-leading seven touchdowns. Zelenika frequently finds open space, and his quarterbacks have found him a team-best 44 times for receptions. Ken Anderson is the Griffins’ best red zone target at 6-foot-3, and he’s caught four touchdowns in the process. Tight end Turner Pallissard, the son of offensive coordinator Joel Pallissard, is the recipient of quick playaction passes down the seam.
That balance will be key into the dog days of October and, the Griffins hope, well into November. That hasn’t even taken the Griffins defense into account, which features a ferocious front four and ball-hawking secondary. The Griffins appear to be hitting their stride at the right time, and their final two tests against undefeated Bradley-Bourbannais and always-difficult Lockport will provide a pair of tough tune-ups before the postseason begins.
“We have high expectations,” Arthur said of the offense. “We know what we’re capable of.”