Special victory for Antioch

When Antioch's football team has had its best seasons, it's been because of all three phases of the game - offense, defense and special teams.

When the Sequoits have struggled in the past, the special teams haven't been very special.

This season, the Sequoits' special teams have been special. Junior Griffin Hill has been a big reason why, while Antioch has also wreaked havoc in the punting game with as many as four blocked punts this season.

So when both Hill and the special teams got revved up on a homecoming Saturday at North Chicago, the already overmatched Warhawks were up against it in the North Suburban Prairie Division game.

Hill took the opening kick 84 yards for the touchdown and added 3 rushing touchdowns, as the Sequoits routed winless North Chicago 72-7. With its sixth win on the season, Antioch (6-1, 4-0) clinched a playoff berth for the fifth time since Brian Glashagel took over as head coach in 2007.

The win sets up a battle for the NSC Prairie Friday night, when the Sequoits host Lakes (6-1, 4-0).

North Chicago stayed winless at 0-7 and 0-5 in the division.

"Playoff-caliber teams make plays on special teams," said Glashagel, who won for the 49th time as head coach. "In years we have made the playoffs, we have made plays on special teams. In years we have not, we haven't."

Hill returned a kickoff for a TD for the third time this season. The play was just a sample of the Sequoits' special-teams excellence. With Antioch leading 44-7 late in the second quarter, Sequoits senior TJ Pilarczyk blocked a punt. The ball was scooped up by senior Matt Stiglic, who ran 2 yards into the end zone.

"We work on scoop and score every day in practice," Stiglic said. "Every game we think if we score on defense or on special teams we will win the game, so we just try and go in with that mentality."

"This is a team activity," said Pilarczyk, who added a 6-yard scoring run in the third quarter to hike the lead to 65-7.

Hill totaled only 59 yards rushing but scored on runs of 2, 33, and 3 yards. He has 21 TDs on the year.

The Antioch defense did its job as well, forcing 7 North Chicago fumbles and recovering three. Antioch held the Warhawks to just 159 total yards.

Sequoits quarterback Dan Meade busted off a 63-yard scoring run, Alan Taylor hit Nick Andre on a 24-yard scoring play, Jacob Lanahan raced for a 50-yard touchdown, and Nicholas Hairrell hit pay dirt with a 29-yard scoring play to close the scoring.