Jacobs 16, Crystal Lake South 7
Most defenses punish quarterbacks.
At 6-foot-2 inches and 205 pounds, Jacobs senior quarterback Kyle Magnuson punishes defenses.
Magnuson bulldozed his way for 107 yards on 15 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 37 and 3 yards to lead the Golden Eagles to a shocking 16-7 victory over previously undefeated and Class 7A No. 3 Crystal Lake South in a Fox Valley Conference Valley Division matchup at the Jacobs Athletic Field Friday night.
It's the second straight year Jacobs has upset an undefeated South team.
Magnuson's 37-TD run was the prime example of how he manhandled the South defense. On a fourth-and-1 play, Magnuson forged through the line and was hit hard by three Gator defenders. He ran over the defenders, broke two more tackles and was able to score to give the Golden Eagles (3-3, 1-1) a 10-0 lead with 9:49 left in the third quarter.
"I just kept my legs moving and was able to bounce to the outside," said Magnuson. "Most of my runs were just reads. I got some great blocks from the offensive line and was able to find the holes. Last year with Dan (Barch) we were able to get some yards on quarterback runs and I thought we could do it again. The line was tremendous."
Jacobs coach Dean Schlueter paid Magnuson the highest compliment.
"That long touchdown run was just all effort," said Schlueter. "It was a simple quarterback sneak and he just ran over people. There is a reason he is a captain. He is a warrior and a winner."
The Gators (5-1, 1-1) came right back after Magnuson's TD run.
Junior Derek Mortensen reached paydirt from 10 yards out with 6:23 remaining In the third quarter. Bryan Nee followed with the extra point kick to cut the deficit to 10-7.
The big play of the drive for Crystal Lake South was a 45-yard pass play from Ian Ormseth to tight end Vince Benedetto.
Jacobs came back on the next drive to extend the lead. A 3-yard TD run by Magnuson, which came on fourth-and-goal from the 3 gave the Golden Eagles a 16-7 lead with 1:44 remaining in the third quarter.
That was the end of the scoring for the night.
The only points in the first half came off the leg of Jacobs kicker Collin Carter, who nailed a field goal from 30 yards with 8:58 left in the first half.
Jacobs, which had 220 yards rushing, also got an 86-yard effort from Darius Bowers on 18 carries.
"They beat us on the offensive and defensive lines," said South coach Jim Stuglis. "We didn't do a good job offensively of creating opportunities. Offensively, it was hit or miss all night. Give Jacobs credit. They are getting better and better every week."