N. Chicago 20, Lakes 0

Visiting Lakes was in for a tough challenge when it met North Chicago on Thursday night.

The Warhawks' running game proved to be a real obstacle for Lakes as North Chicago took a 14-0 advantage into halftime and went on to post a 20-0 North Suburban Prairie Division victory.

Lakes (1-4, 0-3) controlled the clock in the opening quarter with a solid ground attack, but the Eagles could never sustain a long drive into Warhawks' territory.

After a scoreless first quarter, North Chicago (3-2, 2-1) opened the scoring early in the second quarter behind the leadership of junior quarterback Blake Collins.

A 14-yard pass to Dominique Young, and a 7-yard keeper by Collins took the ball down to the Lakes 29-yard line.

Then junior Keith Ford broke off a 20-yard run before teammate Jimon Hill ran right through the middle of the Lakes' defense for a 9-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead with 10:26 remaining in the first half.

The Warhawks defense really toughened up after that point with North Chicago taking over at the Lakes 41-yard-line late in the second quarter.

It took 7 plays for the Warhawks to reach the end zone as Collins hit Patrick Terrell over the middle for an 18-yard scoring strike. The extra point by Pedro Cardenas made the score 14-0 at the intermission.

With the second half played in a heavy fog, neither team could establish much offense either on the ground or through the air.

But the real back-breaker for the Eagles came with 3:47 to play when North Chicago's Curtis Spencer intercepted a pass by Lakes quarterback Justin Hotle and raced 30 yards for the touchdown and a 20-0 lead.

"I thought our defense played well and our offense played poorly," said Lakes coach Luke Mertens, whose team was also shut out last week. "We were fortunate to be this close considering the defense played on our side of the field the whole game."

Lakes running back Josh Gaido did not have much running room, but he managed a workman-like effort with 50 yards on 19 carries.

Collins had 79 yards passing and 51 yards rushing for the Warhawks, while Hill gained 59 yards on 17 attempts. Hotle threw for 56 yards overall under heavy pressure, while teammate Zach Percival also saw action at the quarterback position.

"Our offensive line didn't get the job done and we were unable to pass block," Mertens said. "They're athletic and that makes it difficult to stop them."