Paul steps in, and Grayslake Central tops Grant

It's not often you see the number 83 playing the quarterback position.

But it sure worked for Grayslake Central's football team.

Grayslake Central inserted junior Nick Paul to take snaps on the team's third possession in the second quarter.

The Rams were a completely different team with Paul leading the offense, and with him at the helm they scored 27 unanswered points in the second quarter and never looked back.

Grayslake Central won its homecoming over visiting Grant 33-10 in a Northern Lake County conference opener in Grayslake on Friday night.

Paul had replaced starter Ben Vogeler on a decision by Grayslake Central coach Jason Schaal.

Paul finished 10 of 14 passing for 234 yards with 1 interception and rushed for 120 yards on 16 carries. He threw a touchdown pass to Peter Brewster and followed it up with scoring runs of 67 and 22 yards.

"When the team needed me, they all had my back and helped me persevere through it," said Paul, who played briefly last week against Deerfield. "At the end of the day, it's all about the team.

"I was thinking this was all a dream, and I didn't expect all this to happen. I was so glad Brewster won that 50/50 ball and took it to the end zone."

Grant (0-3, 0-1) jumped into the lead 3-0 with Andrew Ryczek's 33-yard field goal with 9:33 left in the second quarter.

Paul's 81-yard hook-up with Brewster put the Rams (1-2, 1-0) ahead 7-3 with 9:12 left in the second quarter.

Paul took over again on the next Grayslake Central possession, reaching the end zone on a 67-yard run for a 14-3 lead wit 5:55 remaining.

There was another Paul run of 22 yards after the Rams got the ball back that increased the lead to 21-6 with 3:06 left until halftime.

The Rams added another score as Jayson Nardi scampered into the end zone from a yard out with 21 seconds left and Grayslake Central led 27-3 at the break.

Grant switched quarterbacks in the second half. Tyler Elfering connected with Jacob Lotz for a 38-yard TD pass on the opening drive in the third quarter that cut the lead to 27-10.

But Grayslake Central added one more score, with Michael Przybylski's 25-yard run making it 33-10 with 5:13 left in the third quarter.

"These guys had a challenge today to play the best they could and if each person wins their individual battles then we would play much better as a team," Schaal said. "I can talk about Nick Paul, the offense making the passes to Brewster, (Jordan) Franco. Every person stepped up when they needed it. When the offense controls the ball, we're able to control the clock a little bit. Our defense was rested and played outstanding all night."