Will Cook County News

By Claude Martinez

Orland Park – The Class 8A IHSA Playoffs are set. The #10 seeded Carl Sandburg Eagles are gearing up to face the #23 seeded Lockport Porters on Saturday, November 1.

New to the Sandburg program this season is head coach Sheamus Murphy, who brings a decade of head coaching experience to the team. Murphy previously led programs at Eisenhower for five years and Back of the Yards for four. In his first year at Sandburg, he has already made his mark, guiding the Eagles to an impressive 7–2 regular-season record.

One of the key contributors to that success is junior quarterback Sean Ruisz, who has thrown for 1,131 yards, completing 62 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

Another offensive standout is junior running back and slot receiver Quinn Durkin, who has excelled in the passing game. Durkin has totaled 636 receiving yards this season, averaging 19.9 yards per catch with 10 touchdowns.

On the ground, senior running back Luke Basiorka etched his name into Sandburg history by breaking the school’s rushing record set in 1963 by Ernie Sharp, who ran for 2,652 yards. This season, Basiorka has amassed 766 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns.

WCCN spoke with Coach Murphy, Ruisz, Durkin, and Basiorka ahead of their upcoming playoff matchup to discuss the team’s success and what lies ahead.

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Now, the challenge for the Eagles is to overcome Lockport. In Week 7, Sandburg fell to the Porters 28–7, but with their hard work and dedication in practice, they’re determined to give it their all in Saturday’s playoff matchup.

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