Cary-Grove bounces back with win over McHenry

After losing its opener to Prairie Ridge last week, Cary-Grove football coach Brad Seaburg had to have some worries entering Week 2's Fox Valley Conference matchup at McHenry Friday night.

Seaburg didn't need to have any reservations.

With the triple-option offense operating on all cylinders, the Trojans compiled 418 yards on the ground with 26 first downs in posting a 42-14 win over the host Warriors.

"We had a good week of practice and the kids were ready to play," said Seaburg. "It is a cliché but you hope your biggest improvement is from Week 1 to Week 2. We watched film and were able to correct our mistakes."

Senior 4-year starter Tyler Pennington led the rushing barrage for the Trojans (1-1, 1-1) with 134 yards on 14 carries including 3 touchdowns.

"We know we struggled last week and were ready to play tonight," said Pennington. "We had a very good week of practice and the coaches had a good game plan for us."

Ryan Magel added 91 yards on 9 carries with a 2-yard touchdown run for the winners.

The Trojans set the tone on the opening kickoff as Kyle Pressley followed a perfectly formed wedge and scampered 32 yards to the Trojan 46. Pennington, who ripped off a run of 32 yards on the first play from scrimmage, carried 4 times for 54 yards on the drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown run with 10:17 left in the first quarter. Collin Walsh's kick was good and the Trojans raced to an early 7-0 advantage.

"PR did a great job of taking Tyler out of the game last week," said Seaburg. "We wanted to establish him early on the first drive."

The Trojans' second touchdown was set up by a perfectly executed fake punt. Punter and quarterback Bobby Collins found Kyle Pressley for an 18-yard gain and a first down. The drive ended on Pennington's second score of the game, a 6-yard run with 3:37 left in the initial quarter to give the Trojans a 14-0 lead.

"Our special teams were huge," said Seaburg. "Kyle Pressley had a great kick return to start the game and Bobby executed the fake punt well. Collin did a great job on kickoffs pinning McHenry deep in their territory."

McHenry (1-1, 1-1), which scored 45 points in a win over Crystal Lake South last week, was held to 14 points and 211 yards of total offense.

"They got some yards early but we made some adjustments at halftime,"said Seaburg. "We started to get a good rush on the quarterback (Colton

Klein) and made things uncomfortable for him."