Grant hangs on to beat Grayslake Central

For three quarters, Grant appeared headed for an easy win on Friday night.

But first the Bulldogs had to survive an action-packed fourth-quarter that saw visiting Grayslake Central erase a 14-point deficit before Grant pulled off some big plays to secure a 42-28 nonconference victory.

There were surprising plot twists on both sides, starting with the star of the game, Grant junior quarterback Justin Cokefair. Senior Israel Rodriguez played quarterback in the Bulldogs' opening week win at Johnsburg, but was benched at the start of this game for what coach Kurt Rous termed an internal matter.

Cokefair didn't just fill in. He probably seized the job after an electrifying performance. Cokefair used his speed and shiftiness on the option to rush for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns on 22 carries. He also rifled a 33-yard scoring pass to Tom Bychowski in the first quarter.

"That might put our quarterback dilemma to rest," Rous said. "It's a nice problem to have. Izzy's too good a football player not to be on the field somewhere. Maybe one of them can play defense. We could use some help there."

Grayslake Central (0-2) showed plenty of fortitude, scoring 21 fourth-quarter points. That was a huge turnaround from the first half when the Rams managed just 2 first downs.

Part-time quarterback Mike Gentile scampered 72 yards to set up a touchdown and give Central an early 7-0 lead. Take away that run, however, and the Rams gained just 22 yards on 21 plays before halftime.

Bychowski's 67-yard punt return midway through the third quarter put Grant (2-0) ahead 21-7 before the Grayslake offense suddenly caught fire. The Rams' other quarterback, Kevin O'Rourke, didn't complete a pass in the first half, then went 8 for 11 through the air for 131 yards after intermission.

O'Rourke bounced off a tackler and completed a huge pass on fourth-and-10 to Cassidy Melton, then split wide and caught a 6-yard touchdown toss from Gentile. Three plays after the ensuing kickoff, Gentile returned an interception 38 yards for a score and Grayslake Central had pulled even at 21-21 with 9:10 remaining.

"A lot of resolve by the kids, a lot of fight," Rams coach Nick Goshe said. "As a whole, the program took a major step forward tonight."

Cokefair was shaken up late in the second quarter and gave way to Rodriguez. But following the interception, Cokefair returned to the field and led a quick 50-yard drive. Junior Dan Hourihan (21 carries, 105 yards) ran 18 yards to put Grant back ahead with 7:02 remaining.

On the ensuing kickoff, Jimi Cokefair recovered a squib kick at the 11-yard line and Justin ran it in on the next play to make it 35-21.