Conant completes win over Hersey, remains unbeaten
It's difficult to bring the same intensity when you split a football game between two days.
Conant found that out Saturday as it hosted Hersey in a Mid-Suburban League crossover.
The Cougars carried a 14-0 lead into Saturday's action after storms halted Friday's action with 6:30 left in the second quarter.
Hersey had the better of the scoring Saturday, but it wasn't enough as Conant held on for a 21-13 victory that kept it undefeated at 4-0.
Conant senior running back Jake Jakubosky finished with 2 touchdowns and had 118 yards on the ground in the second half. Jakubosky's 3-yard run in the fourth quarter helped keep the Huskies out of reach.
"All you can do is take care of your body," Jakubosky said of splitting the game over two days. "The holes were open for me to run through because of our line. The blockers did their job and I just lowered my head and got through."
Hersey's defensive unit didn't make it easy for the Cougars. The Huskies stopped Conant red zone trips in the second and third quarter to keep it a two-score game.
At the same time, though, the Huskies' offense was having difficulty with Cougars' stifling defensive effort.
Conant's defense blanked the Huskies (1-3) through three and a half quarters.
Both teams tinkered with their respective game plans after having an evening to rethink their plans of attack.
"We did a bit of a gameplan change," said Hersey coach Joe Pardun. "We have an inexperienced D right now, but we're getting better. I don't like the results, the outcome. But I'm proud of the growth of our kids. Now we just have to build on that growth."
The first score for Conant was midway throught the first quarter on Friday, when senior quarterback Kyle Bradley connected with senior wideout Palmer Graham for a 35-yard score. Graham had 4 more catches on the game's second day.
Bradley showed the kind of poise he's displayed all season under center. He passed for 82 yards in the third and fourth quarters Saturday.
"We had to have a mindset that this was a totally different game," Bradley said. "We had to redo everything just to get your mind back in the game today, because usually were watching tape (Saturday). Next week will be exciting, to start play the West teams."
Hersey was able to put points on the board in two out of its last three possessions. Senior running back Daniel Blair had a 37-yard touchdown run late in the fourth, and Huskies quarterback Tom Jackson tossed up a 23-yard Hail Mary to sophomore receiver Owen Goldsberry in the end zone as time expired.
Next up are two key divisional games.
Hersey will host Prospect, while Conant meets another unbeaten team, Fremd, in the Cougar's Homecoming matchup.
"The two red zones opportunities that we came up short on were hard to swallow," said Conant coach Bill Modelski. "We're going to play some important games coming up. I feel like top to bottom, this is as good as the West has been in a while. We can compete with all of the teams, but any of them can get you on any given day."