Beeler, Crews co-star in ‘W’
Defensive lineman has six sacks, running back rushes for 244 yards as Wolverines cruise
Simeon stars Malik Elzy and Andre Crews are Player of the Year contenders, and both seniors had eye-popping highlight moments in the Wolverines’ 29-0 domination of Kenwood on Saturday at Lane Stadium.
The bar was set high, but defensive lineman Mikeshun Beeler stole the spotlight anyway. Beeler had six sacks and several tackles for loss.
“That was the best game of my life,” Beeler said. “I knew I was facing some four-star linemen, so I had to show I was the best in the city. We have some dogs at Simeon, too.”
Beeler said he has talked with Northwestern and Illinois and has visited Wisconsin. The 6-4, 244-pound junior is an excellent student. Simeon coach Dante Culbreath noted Beeler’s and Crews’ GPAs immediately after the game.
“These kids are good students, and they work their tail off every day in practice,” Culbreath said.
Crews has dominated in every game this season. He had 16 carries for 244 yards with touchdown runs of 85, 80 and 12 yards.
“I’m feeling powerful knowing I have a better relationship with my offensive linemen,” Crews said. “I give it all to them. We all have a mindset for winning.”
Simeon (7-0, 4-0 Red-South) only completed one pass, but Elzy made his impact in other ways. The Cincinnati recruit is a receiver, defensive back and punter.
For a second, it appeared that Elzy’s first punt was going to be blocked. He didn’t let that happen, pulling it back and running for 40 yards. It was so smooth and effortless that many observers thought it was a designed fake punt.
“I took it because they came fast,” Elzy said. “He was there to block it, so I decided to go.”
The Wolverines held Kenwood (4-3, 2-2) to 112 yards of offense.
“Beeler and [Chris Burgess] are so underrated,” Elzy said. “They might be a junior and a sophomore, but they are two of the best defensive linemen in the state.”
The Broncos are down to their third quarterback, and their passing game struggled. Running back Taylor Goodwin led Kenwood with 14 carries for 63 yards.
Simeon only has allowed eight points in its last five games.
“There is still plenty to work on,” Culbreath said. “We are making mistakes if we get three touchdowns called back [by penalties].
‘‘But the defense is stepping up like it did today.”
Next up for Simeon is Morgan Park. It’s the Public League’s biggest game of the season featuring unbeaten rivals matching up in the Battle of Vincennes.
Both teams are loaded with college prospects. The game was originally set to be televised, but that was canceled because of some uncertainty this week about when and where it will take place.
The original plan was to play Friday night at Gately Stadium, but it appears the game is likely to be moved to Saturday afternoon.
“We are working hard and are focused,” Elzy said. “Everyone is going to want to see that game.”