Warren 32, Libertyville 17
Warren sophomore Greg Kennedy knew he had to be ready.
After touching the ball only twice in the first half, Blue Devils coach Dave Mohapp warned Kennedy that he would be needed in the second half of a North Suburban Conference Lake Division opener at Libertyville.
"Coach told me to be ready," Kennedy said. "I didn't touch the ball too much in the first half, but coach told me he was saving me for the second half and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the ball."
It took only a few seconds for Kennedy to get his wish.
The second-half kickoff sailed through the air and found Kennedy at the 6-yard line. One move to the left and another to the right was all it took.
"I just saw green and the goal posts," Kennedy said with a smile. "The guys in front of me did a great job."
Kennedy returned the kick 94 yards for the score, breaking a 10-10 tie to help Warren stun the host Wildcats 32-17 for its first win of the season.
The return by Kennedy started a run of 19 straight points as Warren (1-2, 1-0) built a 29-10 lead after three quarters.
"It was only one score," said Libertyville coach Randy Kuceyeski who's Wildcats fell to 1-2, 0-1. "It shouldn't have had a huge effect on us."
But the return by Kennedy gave Warren a shot in the arm it had lacked through the first two weeks of the season.
"That was really a big boost," Mohapp said. "Getting points on that first series in the second half is so important, and we had been struggling with trying to gain momentum and that really did it for us."
Warren's defense picked up the momentum from Kennedy's big play. On the first series after taking the 17-10 lead, the Devils forced a three-and-out and blocked the Wildcats' punt for the second time of the night.
Though it led to just a field goal, it was clear, the momentum was clearly with Warren.
"We had two hard tough losses against two good football teams and last week (against Maine South), we didn't represent our program well," Mohapp said. "Tonight, these kids showed me something."
Kennedy wasn't done with the Wildcats just yet. He carried the ball 11 times in the second half for 107 of his career-best 111 yards and added a speedy 55-yard score to put Warren up 29-10 late in the third quarter.
"That (touchdown) goes right to my offensive line," Kennedy said. "Those guys gave me a lot of room to run and I couldn't have done it without them."
On any other night, the Warren defense would have garnered most attention as it harassed Libertyville quarterback Tom Piazzi all night, sacking him 5 times.
"(Warren) was bringing somebody on every play," Kuceyeski said. "We had a lot of trouble picking them up."
The game couldn't have started better for Warren and the Blue Devils defense. Defensive back Corey Harris read the eyes of Piazzi perfectly on the first play of the game, picking off the pass and returning it 24 yards for Warren's first score.
Kicker Steve Fox was also busy for the Devils as he added 4 field goals, including a 47-yarder early in the third quarter.