Antioch can run, but Sequoits not shy about passing
Welcome to the world, Antioch's passing game.
After almost exclusively rushing the ball in their first two games of the season, the 2-1 Sequoits showed that they are far from a one-dimensional football team.
Sure, they love that run-oriented option offense that head coach Brian Glashagel preaches. But, lo and behold, they've also got the weapons necessary to burn defenses with the pass.
Last week in a 29-20 loss to Grant, Antioch passed the ball 17 times.
The Bulldogs were determined to take away the run, and Antioch seamlessly shifted gears.
In fact, the Sequoits called a long passing play on the very first play of the game.
Quarterback Matt Romani completed 7 of 16 passes for 139 yards. The Sequoits also found the end zone when running back Cameron White hit receiver Lamarr Pottinger with a 48-yard touchdown pass.
Pottinger tallied 5 catches for 162 yards.
"In our first two games against the Grayslake schools, we got so many yards running the ball on first and second down that we really didn't have to go to the passing game," Glashagel said. "We just kept with what was working.
"But we showed that we do have a passing game. It's not like we're going to start putting Matt in the shotgun or anything. But he can throw the ball and he's got some really talented kids to throw to."
Pottinger, whose 162-yard performance ranks third for a single game in the school record books, is a state qualifier in the hurdles and has some nice speed. And Glashagel says that all of his key backs have good hands and are threats to catch the ball as well.
"Defensive backs need to honor Lamarr and his speed," Glashagel said. "Our running back, Cameron White, is also really good at catching the ball. We had been working on our passing. If we play good teams, we're going to have to pass the ball, too. And that's going to eventually open up our run game, which is what we like to do."
Quote of the week, I: Warren coach Dave Mohapp on the prospect of trying the run the ball against Lake Zurich's miserly defense, which has yielded all of 39 rushing yards this season. Over three games, that's an average of just 13 yards per game: "They just swarm to the football. It's like a hornet's nest. I'm wondering if we can play with a couple of extra players or something."
Quote of the week, II:ŒLake Zurich coach Bryan Stortz on his defense against the run: "I haven't seen a defense defend the run like this. We're doing a really good job. We don't play the same way on every down. We've got guys coming at different angles and that can be confusing to some offenses. However, having said that, our numbers (39 rushing yards in three games) are probably a little deceiving." Stortz went on to point out that Fremd passed the ball a lot in Week 1, Stevenson was forced to abandon its running game in the fourth quarter last week, and Week 2 opponent East Aurora was tagged for negative-47 rushing yards in a 65-0 loss.