By Drake Skleba
For the Bugle
0-2.
For Minooka’s first-year, IHSFCA Hall of Fame, head football coach John Belskis the above record was an anomaly. In 24-years at Downers Grove South Belskis’ Mustangs won 201 games and lost just 62, including 19 West Suburban Conference Gold Division Championships. An IHSA State Football runner-up season in 1993 and an IHSA State Football Championship,in 2001, highlighted Belskis’ illustrious career, on Downers Grove’s south side.
Yet that is where Belskis stood after his first two games at Minooka High School.
Starting 17 juniors, two sophomores and two seniors the Indians fell 14-7 in another edition of “The Battle of Ridge Road Rivalry” to archrival Plainfield South. In Week 2 turnovers and penaltie, resulted in the Indians’ second loss of 2018, 35-20, to the state-ranked and undefeated, Panthers of Oswego.
Led by two of the 17 junior starters, quarterback Seth Lehr and running back, Noah Ellens, the Indians took off. The Indian party started with a 55-7 romp, past Joliet Central. Two victories followed, 21-14 over Plainfield East and 31-29 over Plainfield North, to improve the Indians record to 3-2.
The Indian onslaught continued over the next two weeks. A 45-7 romp past Plainfield Central and a 58-0 demolition of Romeoville, this past Friday night improved the Indians record to 5-2. The victory also clinched another IHSA Class 8A Playoff berth for Belskis and his Indians.
The five-week, Minooka Indians, Southwest Prairie Conference destruction tour has earned the Indians the Voyager Media Publications Week 7 Team of the Week.
“We made some mistakes against Oswego, that cost us that game,” Belskis said. “We have played very well, in all three stages of the game, since the Oswego loss. Seth Lehr, has been outstanding for us. He is not just a talented athlete but a very good, decision-maker, at the quarterback position. He’s only 5-foot-9, but plays like he is 6-foot-5. We are blessed to have a number of quality receivers, for Seth to throw the ball to.”
“Noah Ellens has burst on the scene for us at running back. Noah Ellens, has some outstanding bloodlines, from his father Marty. Davonte Welcher, has given us another weapon, in our backfield. The defense has played outstanding all season led by junior Jake Shipla.”
“Mark my words. Before Jake is through, he will be Minooka’s next All-Stater,” Minooka Hall of Fame associate coach, Terry McCombs said.
For junior quarterback, Seth Lehr, his magical season started when he edged out fellow junior Steven Gonzales for the starting quarterback job. Gonzales moved over to wide receiver and is Lehr’s second-leading receiver. Through seven weeks, Lehr has thrown for 1,062 yards and 11 touchdown passes. Both marks lead the Voyager Media Publications Area Football Leaderboard.
Lehr can run, too, as evidenced by his six rushing touchdowns.
“My offensive line has been instrumental in my success,” Lehr said. “I have a number of quality receivers to throw the ball to. We also have a number of quality running backs, as well. With the number of quality receivers, we really spread the field and it takes the pressure off of me, to get the ball to one main receiver. We want to win our last two games, in the regular season. Get a first-round home game and make a deep-run in the playoffs.”
Noah Ellens has vaulted into the feature-back position
for the Indians. Ellens, the son of the great, former-Hinsdale South All-State running back, Marty Ellens, has rushed for 534 yards and has six touchdowns. Ellens, also has hauled in 154 receiving yards and a touchdown.
“I didn’t start the first two games of the season,” Ellens said. “Working with my offensive line, I have been able to help our running game. We are a very young team and to open the season with two big challenges, like Plainfield South and Oswego, didn’t get us the start we wanted. We all have really came together, since the Oswego loss and are playing very well.”
Senior leadership has been provided, for the Indians, by wide receiver Braden Vercler.
Vercler is Lehr’s favorite receiver hauling in 16 of Lehr’s tosses for 239 yards and a touchdown. Gonzales has 234 receiving yards and a touchdown. After an injury-filled summer, junior running back, Connor Etzkorn, has caught three touchdown passes from Lehr and has rushed for 207 yards and another touchdown. Senior running back, Davonte Welcher adds another offensive threat, with 263 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
“We have a number of quality receivers,” Vercler said. “Seth knows exactly where to put the ball. We are really coming together as a team and are looking forward, to the next two weeks to perform at our best.”
The Indian defense, which only allows just 15 points-per-game, is led by a pair of “Indian Sack-Masters” in Jake Shipla and Alfred Vaughn.
Shipla, is the Indians’ leading tackler with 51 on the season. Enemy quarterbacks have met Jake on nine occasions, in their backfield.
“I’m happy with the nine sacks, thus far, on the season,” Shipla said. “But there is always room for my improvement. I would like to get many more, this season. I am happy that we are on this roll now but I’m disappointed, that we didn’t win our first two games. We should be 7-0, now.”
Vaughn, who met the Romeoville quarterback three times on Friday, now has five sacks on the season and 25 tackles overall.
“I’ve worked very hard and as a senior and I want to help us be 1-0 at the end of each week,” Vaughn said. “The team is on a roll and we will continue to work hard and get better. We would like to close out our season with two more wins, that should get us a first-round playoff game, here, in three weeks.”
The Indians travel to a desperate-for-a-win, Joliet West (3-4, 3-4) squad, on Friday night and then wrap up the regular season with a home game, against the state-ranked Wolves of Oswego East (6-1, 6-1) on October 21.
“We go up against up a desperate Joliet West Tiger squad on Friday,” Belskis added. If we are fortunate to win. we would like to close out the season with a win here against a very-dangerous Oswego East team. That would probably garner us a first-round playoff game here at Minooka.”