If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
Set to send the ball back to Glenbrook South leading by seven points, Maine South senior punter Henry Hughes called for the snap.
Instead, the spiraling pigskin landed in the arms of tailback Niko Kokosioulis. The senior burst through a surprised Titans defense, weaving his way through traffic for a crucial Maine South first down.
“We tried the same thing against Warren and crazy enough, I dropped the fake punt,” Kokosioulis said. “I knew once he called it, my moment was ready. All I had to do was get the first down and once I crossed that line, I knew it was going to be a great game.”
Great, it was for the Hawks (7-1, 4-0), who buried Glenbrook South (6-2, 3-1) in a smothering defensive effort to take a 38-7 victory in a key CSL South matchup Friday night in Park Ridge.
Field position quickly shifted the momentum of the first half after a booming punt from Hughes pinned the Titans at their own 4-yard line.
Although the Hawks could not capitalize on the ensuing possession, a 15-yard punt return from Kokosioulis paved the way for the first score of the day on the next drive, an 11-yard scoring strike from junior quarterback Jameson Purcell to Kokosioulis.
“We really tried to emphasize it,” Maine South coach David Inserra said about special teams. “It really is one-third of the game when you break it down.”
Inserra shouted out Hughes postgame, along with senior placekicker Kaden Hamdan, who made each of his four extra point tries and added a 44-yard field goal.
An inspiring defensive effort led the way to a 17-0 halftime lead for Maine South. Senior linebacker Nick Hachigian hauled in a first quarter interception for the Hawks, leading to the first of two rushing touchdowns from Purcell.
“We’ve been playing together since fourth grade,” Hachigian said. “It means a lot that we’ve played together all these years … and it’s finally paying off.”
Purcell, an Indiana commit in the class of 2027, finished the night with 188 passing yards and two touchdowns. He added 75 yards on the ground and a pair of scores with his feet.
Senior wideout Logan Ide made a circus grab for a 21-yard touchdown to open the final quarter. Kokosioulis ended his night with a 63-yard touchdown scamper midway through the fourth.
He finished the evening with 126 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, along with 27 yards and a score through the air.
The Hawks will travel to Deerfield next Friday night for their regular season finale.