Wrap-up: CL Central, Prairie Ridge win
Visiting Grayslake Central went into a hostile environment when the Rams faced Crystal Lake Central in Fox Valley Conference football action Friday night.
The host Tigers started out fast on their homecoming night and never looked back as they built a 21-0 halftime advantage before posting a 41-20 FVC Fox Division victory over Grayslake Central.
The Rams (0-6, 0-2) stopped Crystal Lake Central (4-2, 1-1) on its first offensive possession, but Grayslake Central fumbled the ensuing punt, with the Tigers recovering the fumble on the Rams' 42.
Seven plays later, CLC's Anthony Niemo burst 14 yards right up the middle for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead midway through the opening quarter.
After the teams exchanged scoreless drives, the Rams responded with a big play as quarterback Kevin O'Rourke hit Jahr'y Johnson with a 46-yard pass down to the Tigers' 16.
But the turnover bug struck once again as CLC's Josh Fick recovered a fumble by the Rams' Rich Smith on the next play to kill the drive.
The Tigers' next play was a 55-yard run by Tim Reed before CLC quarterback Connor Buxton hit Taylor Kendrick with an 18-yard pass to put the ball on the Grayslake Central 7.
Four plays later, Buxton scored on a 4-yard keeper as a spin move got Buxton past a Rams' defender and into the end zone. A 2-point conversion made the score 14-0 with 6:20 remaining in the second quarter.
Grayslake Central's next drive stalled, but when punter Tad Vela dropped the snap, CLC took over at the Rams' 10.
Anthony Degani scored on a 10-yard carry on the next play before Galen Ballew's extra point made the score 21-0 with 2:46 left in the first half.
"The turnovers really hurt us and you can't turn the ball over against a talented team like this," said Grayslake Central coach Nick Goshe. "We're starting to get over our hump of only scoring one touchdown a game and we're getting better every week."
An 18-yard pass to Ryan Lund and a 33-yard run by Rich Smith got the Rams' offense going in the third quarter before a 2-yard TD run by Cassidy Melton cut the lead to 21-6 with 8:12 left in the period.
CLC answered with a quick 74-yard scoring drive for a 28-6 lead late in the third quarter before the Rams bounced back with a 49-yard punt return by Lund to cut the gap to 28-12 with 8:51 to play.
Degani added a 10-yard TD reception before Niemo scored on a 45-yard run with four minutes to play.
A big kickoff return by Lund would set up the Rams' next TD as Smith scored on a 1-yard run with 1:35 to go.
Niemo rushed for 154 yards on 15 carries while Degani added 114 yards on 16 attempts. Smith had 73 yards on 19 carries.
"My linemen gave me really good protection, our guys ran good routes, and we had our opportunities in the first half," said O'Rourke, who threw for 209 yards. "We had too many turnovers, but putting 20 points on the board is a big plus for us."
Prairie Ridge 48, Grayslake N. 7:ŒDistractions have plagued Prairie Ridge's football team in the past when dealing with its homecoming game, but this year the Wolves had a distraction-free week and it proved to pay dividends on the football field.
Prairie Ridge rolled by visiting opponent Grayslake North 48-7 in a Fox Valley Fox Division game Friday night. Sam Campbell helped propel the Wolves to victory by rushing for 247 yards and scoring 3 touchdowns.
"The past couple of years we have had some distractions and it has shown up in our game play," Campbell said. "This year we said, 'none of that,' and our defense came out fired up, and that got us pumped up on offense and we went out there and did the job."
Prairie Ridge ran 11 straight rushing plays to open up its first two drives. The first drive ended on a 3-yard touchdown run by Kevin Keener. A 43-yard run by Campbell helped set up that score. Campbell ended the second drive with a 15-yard touchdown run.
Things continued to get worse for the Knights as they fumbled on the ensuing kickoff. Patrick MacMeekin recovered it for the Wolves (6-0, 2-0) and two plays later Bryan Bradshaw scored Prairie Ridge's third touchdown of the game on a 2-yard quarterback sneak.
With the score 34-0 and just a little less than a minute left in the half, the Wolves successfully ran its two-minute offense. Bradshaw went 5-for-5 on the drive and passed for 81-yards. A 14-yard pass to Campbell capped the scoring drive.
"That is something we work a lot on," Wolves coach Chris Shremp said about the team's final touchdown of the half. "To be in a game situation, it's one of those things down the road and in the playoffs we are going to need. So it was nice to get out and practice that during a game like this."
Grayslake North (0-6, 0-2) came out in the second half and scored its lone touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run by quarterback Nick Harrington. Although the drive took up most of the third quarter, Knights coach Steve Wood was pleased to see his team execute offensively.
"I knew we could move the ball and the good news is that it was still somewhat against their number ones," Wood said. "We didn't make any mistakes, and if you don't make mistakes it gives you a chance to be successful."
-- Eric Reyes