Neukirch, Huntley roll again, now 2-0

Huntley wasted no time getting on the scoreboard against Elmwood Park. On the Red Raiders' first play from scrimmage, Jordan Neukirch rumbled off right tackle for a 63-yard touchdown.

The Red Raiders didn't let up. They led 31-0 after one quarter and 45-0 at halftime before coasting to a 45-8 nonconference victory in Huntley.

Neukirch scored the Raiders' first 3 touchdowns. He was the epitome of efficiency; his stat line read 3 carries for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tanner Stearns scored on a 51-yard run and a 37-yard pass from quarterback Brandon Luczak and Tor Larkin scored on a 4-yard pass.

"We challenged the kids to not wait until the third quarter to try to do things, but to do things early when they were at their best," said Huntley coach Steve Graves.

The Raiders (2-0) obviously took Graves' words to heart. On their second possession, the Raiders had 2 short gains before Neukirch broke loose for a 55-yard score. He added a 24-yarder to make it 18-0 less than 8 minutes into the game.

Elmwood Park had minus-4 total yards for the first half. Fullback Alejandro Castaneda gained 56 yards in the first half while the rest of the team accounted for minus-60. Meanwhile, Huntley's offense amassed 226 first-half yards.

The Raiders' defense sacked Tiger quarterback Chris Santelli 3 times, recovered 2 fumbles, and returned an interception for a touchdown.

Luczak completed 9 of 12 passes for 118 yards before joining the rest of the Huntley starters on the bench for the second half.

"We know we're going to have to throw the ball more often down the road, so we were glad to see the quarterback throwing the ball well," said Graves.

Neukirch caught 5 passes for 55 yards.