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Maine South avoids upset loss to Evanston
Maine South's John Hader (6) intercepts a pass intended for Evanston's Alex Zineddine (80) on Saturday in Evanston. The Hawks beat the Wildkits 31-21. | Rob Hart~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: October 6, 2012 9:38PM
EVANSTON — When asked about cornerback John Hader’s two interceptions Saturday in the 31-21 win over Evanston, Maine South coach David Inserra made sure that Hader’s fumble recovery was not forgotten in the mix of everything else that the junior did for the Hawks.
Still, it was his third-quarter pick of a towering lob from Wildkits quarterback Chris Little that was a game-changer, as Hader brought it to the Evanston 4-yard line. From there the top-ranked Hawks were able to punch it in for a 21-14 lead and the upset-minded Wildkits were forced to play catch-up.
“I felt a little bit of pressure but I don’t know if it was actually there and I kind of just, I don’t know, I kind of blanked out and it just slipped from me, but that’s one that I really do want back,” Little said of the interception.
The old adage goes that in order to beat a good team, you need to be nearly perfect. Evanston was anything but, turning the ball over eight times against Maine South. The Wildkits’ turnovers included four fumbles and four interceptions.
“The defense played great all day today,” Maine South quarterback Matt Alviti said. “They carried us, and we rode their shoulders and it was unbelievable.”
The Hawks turned it over just once, as Alviti went 19-for-33 for 227 yards without tossing a single interception. He threw for one touchdown and ran for another. His 1-yard rushing touchdown through a seam in the left side occurred late in the fourth quarter and made it 31-21.
By far the most exciting moment of the afternoon came when the Wildkits faced fourth-and-goal from the 6-yard line, trailing 21-14 with a little more than nine minutes remaining. After his third-down pass was batted down, Little zipped a pass into the left corner of the end zone, where wide receiver Alex Zineddine hung on to tie the game at 21.
Maine South (7-0 overall, 3-0 CSL South) returns home for a Friday game against Waukegan (2-5, 0-3), the team that Evanston beat heading into its matchup with the Hawks. Meanwhile, Evanston (4-3, 1-2) travels Friday to New Trier (4-3, 2-1).
