Cary-Grove 20, McHenry 0
Mike Matthiesen just wanted a chance to play.
Matthiesen, who was the backup quarterback to Bill Meyer last season, figured to be second string behind A.J. Hoger for Cary-Grove's football team this season.
So, when a chance to switch to defense came about for the Cary-Grove senior this summer he jumped at the opportunity.
Playing defensive end, Matthiesen registered 2 sacks and recovered 2 fumbles as the Trojans' defense pitched a shutout in a 20-0 win over McHenry in a battle of Fox Valley Conference Valley Division unbeatens Friday night at McHenry's McCracken Field.
The Trojans (6-1, 3-0) are alone in first place. McHenry (5-2 overall), falls to 2-1 in league action.
"I wasn't sure where I was going to play when we started summer camp," said Matthiesen. "About midway through I switched to defensive end and I love it. It is so much fun. I just want to play. It is nice to be the one doing hitting this year. We played a great game defensively and we executed well."
Led by Matthiesen, the Trojans' defense totally stifled McHenry's running game.
The Warriors, who managed only 2 rushing first downs, ran for a meager 32 yards on 21 carries.
"The defense was outstanding tonight," said Cary-Grove coach Bruce Kay. "To shut out an offense like McHenry is very hard to do."
Cary-Grove, which nursed a slim 7-0 lead at halftime on an 8-yard run by Kyle Gray, set the tone offensively on the first drive of the second half.
Using 15 plays (13 runs) the Trojans marched 65 yards, ate up 8 minutes, 22 seconds of the clock and grabbed a 13-0 lead .Gray scored his second TD of the game with 3:38 left in the third quarter on a 13-yard run. The kick failed and the Trojans were up by 13.
"The first drive of the second half was huge," said Kay. "To have a long sustained drive that ate up so much clock I think we really wore them down. We executed well in every aspect. AJ ran the option well. Kyle ran well and our offensive linemen executed their blocks well."
The Trojans, who pounded the ball for 262 yards on 52 carries, were led by Gray who toted the ball 19 times for 137 yards and 3 scores. The Cary-Grove senior's final TD of the game came on a 27-yard run with 7:08 left.
"When I got the ball it was wide open," said Gray. "The blocking was great. A.J. had some great reads on the option and we were able to exploit their defense."