Huntley now playoff eligible
Huntley coach Matt Zimolzak has utilized the running back by committee philosophy for most of the 2016 season.
He may have to scrap that way of thinking.
The first-year Huntley coach might have found his running back in senior Carter Beaudette.
Beaudette, who lost a fumble on the Red Raiders' first possession of the game redeemed himself with a 185-yard, 4-touchdown effort to lead the Red Raiders to a 42-23 win over Crystal Lake South in Fox Valley Conference action at Red Raider Stadium Friday night.
With the win, The Red Raiders (5-3, 5-2) become playoff eligible.
Zimolzak stated Beaudette earned his playing time with a great week of practice.
"We have a herd of very good running backs and we have a good rotation at that position," said Zimolzak. "Carter was our best back in practice this week and earned playing time. He was outstanding tonight. He ran hard and did a great job of following his line. He was our MVP tonight."
Beaudette, who carried the ball 23 times, got the Red Raiders on the scoreboard with a 6-yard run with 7:05 remaining in the first quarter.
"I really worked hard in practice this week and wanted to get a chance to play," said Beaudette. "The O-line was great and Eric (Mooney) made some great reads. This is a great win for our team."
Beaudette's other 3 scores came on runs of 55, 11 and 17 yards.
Huntley quarterback Eric Mooney added 112 yards on the ground with 13 carries which included a 3-yard touchdown run.
Mooney completed 10-of-17 passes for 134 yards which included a 29-yard TD pass to Matthew Gelander.
Huntley, which led 28-7 at halftime, got 3 catches from Gelander for 45 yards and a TD. Ryan Antonsen snared 3 passes for 40 yards.
The visiting Gators (2-6, 2-6) who were eliminated from the playoffs last week by Cary-Grove, enjoyed some solid individual efforts.
Junior running back Kyle Leva ran the ball 15 times for 109 yards which included a 39-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Senior quarterback Luke Nolan completed 15-of-19 passes for 109 yards and 2 TD passes. Nolan tossed a 4-yard scoring pass to Matt Meyers, who grabbed 6 passes for 43 yards. Nolan's second TD pass of the game was a 2-yarder to tight end Noah Tyrell.
"Huntley is an exceptional team with a huge offensive line which is very talented," said Crystal Lake South coach Chuck Ahsmann. "You can't erase the what has happened this season. The kids played hard and never quit."